








































There are few tools more essential in the 
development of industry than the file. Perhaps 
for the very reason that it is so universally used 
and so absolutely indispensable, the file does not 
commonly receive the attention it deserves as a tool 
from craftsmen and students. 

In attempting to briefly describe, in these 
pages, the development and uses of the file, it is 
hoped that those who read will come to better 
appreciate its importance and to value it more 
highly. 

There has been no guide for the compilation 
of the material in this book. Information has been 
obtained from every available source. It is 
possible, therefore, that the wide circulation of 
the book will bring to light some omissions, which, 
we hope, will be passed in tolerance in view of 
the difficulties attending the compilation of the 
facts. 



















































HENRY DISSTON 

|| T_J E created a new American industry. 

1 1 He gave to the United States the 
greatest saw works in the world, and thus 
founded an industrial university wherein a 
dozen useful trades are taught. Not only 
did he redeem us from all dependence on 
foreign countries, but turned back the tide and 
made them accept his products, and this simply 
by peaceful demonstration of superior skill in 
manufacturing. n 






































































































































BBS 



STONES USED BY ANCIENT PUEBLO INDIANS FOR 
POLISHING AND STRAIGHTENING ARROW SHAFTS 
(See Page 6) 






©CI.A 6.0521 o 


JLt-1.15*7 * 



































































































Disston—History of the File 


Page 5 


THE FILE 

ITS HISTORY, MAKING 
AND USES 


A * LTHOUGH the history of the file can be traced back into the 
remote past its antiquity is by no means as great as the saw. 
Scientists believe, in fact, that the artificial file was a natural 
development from the saw, the notched edges of stone and metal 
implements leading to the invention of a tool having teeth for 
abrasive purposes. 

Abrading instruments, while dating from remote antiquity, were at 
first composed of some natural substance which might be said to have 
ground off the surface rather than to have cut it, as the files and rasps 
of later times and of today are equipped to do. 

As in many other things, Nature has herself taken the precedence over 
man in the originating of files. There is a type of mollusc having a rough 
tongue with which it rubs or files through the shells of other molluscs on 
which it feeds. The wasp, also, has a rasp-like organ with which it 
abrades dry wood, afterwards mixing the dust with a glutinous saliva to 
form the paper from which it builds its nest. The cat’s tongue, and that 
of the cow are familiar examples of abrading organs in the animal 
kingdom. 

Prehistoric man made handles for his weapons by sawing or splitting 
wood, rough-shaping the pieces as well as he could by primitive methods, 
and finally finishing and polishing them by means of the particular abrasive 
material found in his vicinity. A remarkable connection between these 
ancient times and the most modern is found in the use of sandpaper and 
emery cloth today. These are only a modified form of the first stone 
abrading instruments used by primitive man, proving that many of our 
primordial instincts are still existent. There are few of us, in fact, who 
have not at some time in our lives scraped up sand with a shell, or used 
a stone to drive a nail—both survivals of the Stone Age, and illustrating 
man’s intuitive employment of the things Nature placed ready to his hand. 

To abrade, or file, ancient man used sand, grit, coral, bone, fish skin, 
and gritty woods. Also stone of varying hardness in connection with sand 
and water. 

Crude as were these abrading instruments, and slow and laborious as 
must have been their use, they nevertheless served primeval man well 
throughout the Stone and Bronze Ages. Up to the time of the discovery 
of iron, natural abrasives were used extensively, for copper, and the later 
bronze, did not permit of sufficient hardening to be used as a material 
for the making of artificial files, although attempts were made to use both 
for that purpose. 

M. Adrien de Mortillet, in his classification of prehistoric tools, gives 
first place to cutting tools, and second to rasping tools, which, of course, 
include the file and rasp, thus showing the importance of the file since 
earliest times. And yet, with its important standing, there is a remark- 






Page 6 


Disston—History of the File 


able scarcity of both history and relics as compared with other examples 
of the handiwork of man. 

Strange as it may seem, the North American continent has yielded 
more examples of the natural files of the ancients than any other part of 
the globe. Among the Mound Builders and Cliff Dwellers of America, 
those ancient and prehistoric peoples of whose coming and going so little 
is known, stones were used entirely for abrading purposes. Although both 
races left traces of their familiarity with certain kinds of metal, from 
which they made tools, ornaments, and other articles, neither race, appar¬ 
ently, was acquainted with the artificial file. Nothing of the kind has ever 
been found, so far as is known, but several examples of the stone-file have 
been unearthed. 

Fig. 1 shows one of these stones which was found in a Mound Builders’ 
cemetery in Tennessee. From the peculiar grooves in this stone it would 
appear that it had been used for smoothing arrow shafts. 

The ancient Pueblo Indians, who inhabited the Calisteo Basin in West¬ 
ern North America, left, among 
many other crude tools and 
pieces of pottery, specimens of 
stone which archaeologists say 
were also used to smooth and 
polish arrow shafts. Some of 
these are preserved in the 
American Museum of Natural 
History in New York. Three 
good examples of these stones 
are shown in Fig. 2 (frontis¬ 
piece). The material appears 
to be soft sandstone, of vary¬ 
ing grades of fineness, in which 
deep grooves have been worn 
by drawing them along the wooden shafts. As proof of this use, it may 
be said that Eskimos of the Arctic regions today use stones to smooth 
and sharpen their spear-heads. Captain George Comer while on an expe¬ 
dition in the far north secured a specimen of stone, pictured in Fig. 3, 
which was used like a file by the natives. It measures about eight inches 
in length, one and a half inches in width, and three-quarters of an inch in 
thickness. 

It is discoveries such as this that have greatly aided scientists in the 
unraveling of the tool mysteries of the earth’s early inhabitants. In fact, 
study of the customs and tools of the savages of today give a very clear 
idea of the tools used, and the manner of making, in prehistoric times. 
The South Sea Islanders, for instance, aptly illustrate this, for, in these 
days of wonderful tool development, they are still using pieces of coral 
as rasps. 

The remarkable resemblance between the tools used in bygone ages 
in different parts of the earth, and by dissimilar peoples, occasioned much 
comment in the past, but the modern scientist has realized that, as Major 
Powell, the great ethnologist, once said: “The mind of man is everywhere 
the same; the difference of its products are evidences of differences of 
growth, or different conditions of environment.” In other words, man’s 
progress has depended solely upon his needs and what was at hand to 
progress with. .His inventive tendencies, once aroused, developed along 
parallel lines—limited only by the material and facilities for carrying 



Fig. 1. Filing Stone from the Mound 
Builders’ Ruins in Tennessee. 



Disston—History of the File 


Page 7 


them out. Implements are more or less alike because man’s needs are 
alike. This in itself would cause a similarity of tools, the world .over. 

In spite of a civilization claimed to antedate that of the East, the 
development on the Western Hemisphere in ancient times did not seem 
to go beyond a certain point. So while we find the earliest specimens of 
the file on the American continent we must turn to the Eastern countries 
for the beginning of what we have termed the artificial file. 

The Stone Age, with its natural files, slowly gave way to the Age of 
Copper, and this in turn to the Bronze Age. Tools, weapons, and other 
articles found a wider development with the coming of these metals, but, 
as stated before, the file is a tool of exceedingly rare occurrence in copper 
or bronze, though not absolutely unknown in deposits belonging to the close 
of the Bronze Age. It is sometimes difficult to place the dates or ages of 
many stone and metal implements found among the ancient remains, for 
Europe remained far behind Asia in this particular for many years. In 
2500 B. C., while all Asia shared in the knowledge of Bronze, Europe was 
still in the Stone Age. Then, too, long after metal was fairly well known 
and used, many still clung to their stone tools. This is believed to have 
been especially so with the poorer classes who could not afford the more 
costly metal implements. Indeed, it is well-known that in the mines of 
Spain and Sardinia stone hammers were in use during historic times. 



Fig. 3. Stone used as a file by the Nectchillic Eskimos 


Of prehistoric files recovered, the greater number have been of bronze 
from the “hoards” of that period. A “hoard” is a deposit or collection of 
bronze objects. Investigators have found them in many places all over 
Europe—several ancient cemeteries appearing to have been favorite hid¬ 
ing places. 

The theory of these “hoards” is that they were used as storage places, 
and were sometimes the property of individuals, sometimes of traders, and 
sometimes of bronze founders. The latter surmise is derived from the 
fact that many of the “hoards” contained broken and worn tools, lumps of 
metal, and moulds for casting, as well as numerous perfect tools. 

In a prehistoric cemetery at Hallstatt, in upper Austria, an implement 
of a very hard grayish alloy was found. This was believed to have been 
an anvil, and with it was found a bronze file. In fact, several files of 
bronze, and one of iron have been found in this same cemetery. The 
bronze’ files are from five to ten inches long. A few of these, while flat 
for the greater part of their length, are drawn down for about two inches 
at the end into tapering round files. In a “hoard” found in Bologna were 
several fragments of files, including one of a half-round file. 

Sir William Wilde states that he found among a collection of bronze 
tools in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, a “bronze circular file, 
straight, like a modelling tool.” 

The early form of file is much the same as that of a very broad saw, 






Page 8 


Disston—History of the File 


the toothing coarse, and running at right angles across the blade. A very 
good illustration of this is the iron file found in the remains of prehistoric 
Lake-Dwellings in Switzerland. Fig. 4, giving an outline of this file, is 
taken from Munro’s “Lake-Dwellings of Europe.” Note the well defined 
tang. 

With the ancients, Crete was famed for the skill of its people in work¬ 
ing metal. It had become a well- 
known art there before the people 
of the North knew anything of 
metal. Among the earliest known 
examples of artificially made 
abrading instruments of metal for 
which a date can be fixed 


> 


Fig. 


Fig. 5.—Ancient Bronze File from Crete. 


4.—File from the Prehistoric Lake- 
Dwellings of Switzerland 

a date can be tixed is a 
bronze file (see Fig. 5) which was dug up in Crete by an expedition from 
the University of Pennsylvania, and is now in the Museum at Candia. 
This file has a rounded back and a flat surface for rubbing. The astonish¬ 
ing likeness to the half-round file of today will be noticed at once. It is 
believed to have been made about 1500 
B. C. Its length is inches, width 
inch and thickness Y\ inch. 

The Egyptians of the Lisht Dynasty, 
about 1200 to 1000 B. C., made small 
rasps of bronze, as several specimens have been found which could be 
more or less accurately connected with that time. These rasps are shown 
in Fig. 6. They are V/i to 2^4 inches in length, and appear to have been 

made from sheet bronze. Holes were 
punched through the metal with a 
sharp-pointed instrument. It was 
then coiled into the form of a cone- 
shaped cylinder with the rough edges 
or projections of the holes on the 
outside. These acted as the teeth. 
It is uncertain what these crude 
rasps were used for. The softness 
of the material must have made their 
use extremely limited. Some sug¬ 
gestion, however, may be obtained 
from another rasp of a somewhat 
similar nature which was found in 
the Rammesseum in Egypt. This 
little rasp, about two inches long, 
and a half-inch thick at the base, is 
made out of sheet copper with holes 
punched as previously described. In 
fact, reference to Fig. 7 will show 
that these rasps, found at different 
A „ . , _ times and places are very much alike. 

As the Egyptians in the Rammesseum used to work in gold it may safely 
be surmised that this little rasp was probably used in a manner similar to 
the jewelers’ rasp of today. The rasp shown in Fig. 7 is now in the 
Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. 

These rasps may have had a wooden handle inserted in them. While 
no trace of such handles was found, this supposition arises from the 
curious resemblance between these rasps and those made by the American 




Fig. 


6.—Bronze Rasps Used by the 
Egyptians 1200-1000 B. C. 










Diiston—History of the File 


Page 9 


Indian of more or less modern times which will be described later. As 
the Bronze Age is believed to have been at its height about 4,000 years 
before the Christian Era, we may safely assume that bronze files were in 
use long before these specimens just described. 

That there were iron files in Solomon’s time may be inferred from 
his statement: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the counte¬ 
nance of his friend,” but the first historical mention of artificial files that 
can be definitely identified as referring to such implements as are now 
understood by this term is found in I Samuel: XIII: 21, which is sup¬ 
posed to relate to about the year 1093 B. C. This reads: 

“They had a file for the mattocks, and for the colters, and for the 
forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.” 

The word “file” here is the incorrect rendering of “petsirah pim,” 
which means notching of the mouth or edge of tools, i. e., to remove the 
bluntness or dullness (and so sharpen the edge) of these agricultural 
implements by abrasion in consequence of the lack of smiths to sharpen 
them by forging out the points. 

Files are also mentioned in the Odyssey. They were doubtless very 
crude in form and inefficient in operation as compared to present day files, 
but the fact that they were mentioned in these early writings is proof that 
they were held in high esteem by workmen of ancient times. 

As both of these 
citations refer dis¬ 
tinctly to the use of 
files in metal work¬ 
ing, it is quite appar¬ 
ent that the ancients 
knew how to make 
use of these tools for 
much the same pur¬ 
poses as they are most frequently employed today, viz., the fitting and 
finishing of metal work. Wood finishing, as practiced by prehistoric man, 
and his immediate successors, was easily accomplished by the use of natural 
abrasives, but cutting implements with sharp teeth were required when 
tools and weapons came to be constructed of iron. 

The date at which iron first became known to the early races of man 
is still a matter of dispute. A Chinese, Fuh-he, records in that extraor¬ 
dinarily ancient volume, the “Book of Historical 'Documents,” that he acci¬ 
dently smelted iron when clearing forests about 3200 B. C. The blue color 
used in depicting knife blades in drawings on the tombs at Thebes, Egypt, 
would seem to indicate that it was known among the Egyptians as early 
as 1565 B. C. Remarkably fine specimens of early iron work, however, 
have been taken from the ruins of Memphis and Thebes. As these cities 
are so old that their origin is lost in the remote past, the knowledge and 
use of iron might even have existed at a much earlier period. The Greeks 
are supposed to have known iron before the foundation of Troy in 1537 
B. C. Their poetry, fables and mythology contain many references to iron. 
Homer tells us that at the siege of Troy the leaders and great heroes 
carried swords of bronze, while the common soldiers were armed with 
iron weapons. In spite of the fact that the Greeks are supposed to have 
known and worked in iron before the foundation of Troy, Dr. Schliemann, 
in his book “Illios,” claims that files were not used in the cities of Troy 
and Mycenae. During all his explorations he found absolutely no trace of 
them at these places. We read that David, about a thousand years before 



Fig. 7.—Copper Rasp Found in the Rammesseum, Egypt 





Page W 


Disston—History of the File 


the Christian Era, “prepared iron in abundance for the building of his 
temple.” 

That the people of India knew of iron at an exceptionally early date is 
proved by their skill in working the metal long before the Christian Era. 
At one of the gates of the temple of Katub, near Delhi, is a wrought iron 
pillar 23 feet, 8 inches high above the ground. Its total height, however, 
is believed to be about 60 feet. It is 16.4 inches across at the base and 
12.05 inches at the top. Its weight is estimated at seventeen tons. A 
Sanskrit inscription places the date of its erection in the tenth century 
before Christ. While no definite date can be set it is certain that the 
knowledge of the manufacture of iron spread from Asia into Europe. 

Daimachus, a writer who was contemporary with Alexander the Great 
(about 300 B. C.), enumerates four different kinds of steel and their uses. 
The Chalybdic, Synopic, Lydian and Lacedaemonian. From the latter, he 
states, were made files, augers, chisels and stone-cutting implements. 

The crucible method of melting steel, considered today to be the best, 
is one of the oldest forms of melting iron and steel, being mentioned in all 
early writings. 

As a matter of fact, the possession of iron weapons among nearly all 
the races at this early time would suggest the use of iron or steel abrading 
instruments in their manufacture, but no examples can be found. . Even 
though they had existed, it is highly probable that the oxidizing action of 
the elements would have destroyed them during such a long lapse of years. 
There is no doubt that the great bulk of the objects of iron belonging to 

antiquity have totally disappeared. 

I n! 1111i*, 1 '• 1'• *• 1• 1;\‘V,;I* 1 P ro °f of this disappearance of iron 
’ ■ ;h 3 and steel relics may be mentioned 

numerous cases where the gold orna¬ 
mentations of iron and steel swords 
and helmets have been unearthed 


Fig. 8.—Assyrian File, made in the 
7th Century, B. C. 


while the sword or helmet itself is only represented by a slight trace of 
rust. Only in those parts of the world where an extremely dry, sandy 
soil existed can we find any relics. And even when these are found, they 
have, in many, cases become so thoroughly oxidized that they crumble to 
pieces on coming into contact with the air. 

We touch at some length and detail upon iron because the real begin¬ 
ning of the modern file and rasp, like many other things, must have had 
its inception in this metal. Yet with the beginning of the use of iron and 
steel for the making of files, both records and relics almost disappeared. 
The file by that time had become such an everyday tool among artisans 
that few, if any, writers thought it worthy of special mention. At the 
same time, the well-known corrosive qualities of these metals, which we 
have just touched on, gradually eliminated practically all the early 
examples of this kind of file. 


.The Assyrians, who were about the first race to profit by the discovery 
of iron, made a straight rasp of iron of which an excellent example has 
been found. Reference to Fig. 8 will show that the form is exactly like 
that of modern.tim.es. As this rasp definitely dates back to the seventh 
century, B. C., it will be seen how clever the ancients were in originating 
tools which have preserved their essential form down to the present day. 

How clever the Assyrians really were in their tool making is further 
proved by the investigations in Egypt of Prof. Flinders Petrie. In one of 
his books on that country, he says: 

“A set of iron Armourers’ tools was found at Thebes with a copper 





Disston—History of the File 


Page n 


helmet of Assyrian form, and therefore probably left by the expedition 
under Asshur-bani-pal in 666 B. C. These tools comprise flat chisels, 
mortise chisels, saws, a punch, a rasp, a file, a twist scoop, and two center- 
bits. The forms of most of these tools have already attained to the modern 
types; but the file is only slight and irregular, and the center-bits are only 
fit for hard wood. The edges of these tools are of steel, probably produced 
by case-hardening the iron.” 

Illustrating the workings of the primitive mind in various parts of 
the world at different times, and giving us an insight into the methods 
probably in use in very ancient times of which neither history nor relics 
tell us anything, we picture in this article 
several peculiar forms of files that are con¬ 
nected with quite modern times. In Fig. 9 
is shown a rasp used by the American Indians 
in making arrow shafts, etc. This rasp, which 
is in the Museum of the University of Penn¬ 
sylvania, was obtained by them from the In¬ 
dians in 1908. It had been in use for a con¬ 
siderable period. The rasp is made of a piece 
of sheet iron with holes punched through. 

The sheet was then bent over like a book 
cover, with the rough edges of the holes on 
the inside. The article to be filed was run 
through the interior. The use of sheet iron 
has only been known to the Indians for about 
eighty or ninety years, so it will be seen that 
this rasp is comparatively modern. 

The Indians of later times made a blow gun 
out of a species of cane which much resembled 
bamboo. To clear these out and smooth the 
joints they had a special form of rasp (see 
Fig. 10) mounted on a long thin stick. This 
rasp, too, was made by punching holes with a 
sharp instrument in a piece of tin, and then 

coiling the tin in a conical form somewhat , - 

similar to that of the ancient Egyptians, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and / on 
pages 8 and 9. As the Indians could have no knowledge of the methods 
used by the Egyptians several thousand years ago, the similarity in these 
rasps is striking. 

Bel den, in his book, “The White Chief,” gives several interesting 
descriptions of primitive tool-making which still existed among the 

I n d i a n s of 
North America 
in the first half 
of the last cen- 

Fig. 10.—Indian Rasp for boring out Cane 

is his descrip¬ 
tion of the process of making files: 

“The most curious process was making files and rasps. To do this, 
an alderberry stick was taken and split in two. The pith was then scraped 
out, and into the groove thus formed was poured glue mixed with pounded 
flint. When dry, the particles of flint formed the teeth of the rasp or file. 
If the file became dull, it was only necessary to wash it in hot water, which 




Fig. 9.—Indian Rasp for Smoothing 
Arrow Shafts 













Page 12 


Disston—History of the File 



removed the top layer of glue and worn flint, bringing new flint to the 
surface. These files were very handy and of vast use to the Indians. What 
steel is to iron, they are to the wood and stone used by the Indians. When 
ponies’ hoofs became too long, 
or splintered, they were trim¬ 
med down by these rasps. Axe 
handles, tepee poles, and iron 
even were rubbed down with 
them.” 

Another primitive form of 
file has also been brought 
from_ Australia. It was made 
by fastening sharp fragments 
or plates of stone to a stick 
by means of a tenacious gum. 

It affords a good illustration 
of the manner in which flint 
and other flakes were mounted 
for use as files by the early 
inhabitants of Australia. This 
file is in the collection of the 
Peabody Academy of Science, 

Salem, Mass. 

A most remarkable collec¬ 
tion of primitive files is pre¬ 
served in the Philadelphia 
Commercial Museum. These 
come from «11 portions of the 
globe, but those from China, 

Indo-China, Japan and Yuca¬ 
tan are most interesting. Fig. 

11 shows some of these files 
very clearly. In Fig. 12 is 
illustrated a number of old- 
time primitive files from China 
about which comparatively lit¬ 
tle is known, but their differ¬ 
ent forms and cuts are inter¬ 
esting. 

While this digression has 
brought us for the moment to 
comparatively modern times, 
it serves to illustrate the 
extraordinary variations in 
tools used at the same period, 
but in widely different places, 
and shows how difficult it is 
now . to assign regular pro¬ 
gressive stages of development 
of implements and weapons in 
early times. 

In this connection, the re¬ 
marks of Mr. Wilfred H. 

Schoff, Secretary of The Com¬ 
mercial Museum, relating to 

the collection in that institution will be of especial interest. 


Fig. 11.—Examples of Primitive Files. 












Disston—History of the File 


Page 13 


Fig. 12. 



2 



10 




16 


1. Heavy 'Rasp, blade 13 inches long, 1 inch wide. China. 

2. Square File, 11 inches long, inch square, cross cut on all four sides. China. 

3. Pointed Rasp with a curved face. Blade 14 inches long. China. 

4. Smaller Rasp, blade 7 inches long, cross section elliptical, but cut on only one 

side. China. 

5. Heavy Wood Rasp. Made of wood with 42 steel blades set into it. China. 

6. Smaller Wood Rasp. Same character but with only IS blades set in a straight 

surface. China. 

7. Knife-Shaped File. The wide end is finely cross cut on both sides. The narrow 
end is flat on one side and curved on the other, cross cut on both surfaces. 
China. 

Small File. Blade only two inches long, one side flat the other curved, cross cut 
on both surfaces. China. 


8 . 
























Page 14 


Disston—History of the File 


9. Crude Hand Cut File from Indo-China. , , 

10. Thin, Flat File, 8H inches long, 1 Va inches wide. Cut only on the edges on 

both sides. China. _ _ , „ . 

11. File with a Thin Diamond Shape Cross Section, finely cut on all four sides. 

Indo-China. , , , _ 

12. Small File, cross cut on the two flat faces, but not on the edges. Japan. 

13. Dried Tail of a Fish, probably a Skate or Ray, used as a Wood Rasp. Yucatan. 

14 Knife-Shaped File, cross cut on both sides and single cut on the back. China, 

is! Small File, blade thickest in the middle, finely cut on all four faces. Japan. 

16. Rasp, single cut only about half the length of the blade. Indo-China. 


“These specimens in our collection are all of comparatively recent 
date, and their primitive character is due simply to the fact that they come 
from countries still in a primitive stage of civilization. For that reason 
they illustrate, so far as they go, earlier conditions in nations now in a 
more advanced stage of civilization. In actual time, we do not suppose 
that any of the specimens shown would be more than thirty to thirty-five 
years old, and a number of them, of course, would be more recent. 

“The progress of ethnological knowledge is, necessarily, dependent, in 
great degree, on modern instances just such as these, of tribes and races 
that have remained relatively undeveloped, while other races were becom¬ 
ing civilized, and in that way any 
specimen of a present day primi¬ 
tive tribe is valuable as indicating 
what our own ancestors may have 
been ten centuries ago.” 

Until the beginning of the 
Christian Era even the blacksmith 
continued to fashion weapons and 
implements of iron almost en¬ 
tirely with a stone hammer, and 
no mention seems to be made dur¬ 
ing this intermediate period of the 
use of files. The rapid appear¬ 
ance in slightly later times, how¬ 
ever, of iron tools is shown by 
the discoveries at Pompeii, where 
the only tools of the present time 
which the black¬ 
smith lacked 
were the vise 
and metal-cut¬ 
ting saw. His 
files were crude, 
and it is pre¬ 
sumed were 
not exception¬ 
ally efficient, so 
while he used a 
variety of tools, 
he still clung to 
his hammer as 
the chief in¬ 
strument of his 
trade. The 
blacksmith ’ s 
hammer, in 




Typical Heads of Ancient Stone Hammers 

(Courtesy Am. Museum of Nat. History .) 







Disston—History of the File 


Page 15 


fact, remained his most important implement for many hundreds of years. 

While slight mention is made of files in medieval times—when they 
must have seen their first great development—we know that much of the 
iron and steel work turned out could not have been accomplished without 
the aid of files. 

During the Middle Ages, St. Dunstan, a monk born in Glastonbury, 
England, who is considered the patron of the blacksmith, produced many 
wonderful things during his lifetime, and greatly aided in the improvement 
of metal tools. While there is no record to that effect, the nature of his 
work would imply that the file received some benefit from his extraor¬ 
dinary genius. He died in 988. 

Another monk, Theophilus Presbyter, of the Benedictine Cloister, 
Helmeshausen, gave to the world several recipes for tempering iron instru¬ 
ments. He also wrote a very interesting description of file-making in 
Germany about the end of the eleventh century. Among the simpler forms 
of files which he mentions are those made of soft iron, which were after- 



Entrance to Notre Dame showing Iron Work on Doors 


ward hardened. After the file had been forged to the desired form it was 
made smooth by a plane and then provided with grooves and teeth. He 
describes the hardening process very clearly, and, curiously enough, it does 
not differ greatly from some present-day methods. 

The men who worked in iron, and were the chief users of such tools 
as files, had become at this time the most important of the artisans. A 
Guild of blacksmiths was formed in Florence in the thirteenth century, 
while in England the Guilds of the blacksmiths were started in 1434. It 
is only natural to suppose that these men did much to develop the efficiency 
of the file in the course of their daily work. 

The earliest point at which a definite thread in its history can be 


















Page 16 


Disston—History of the File 


regained is when Notre Dame was built in Paris in the thirteenth century. 
A smith named Biscornette was employed to decorate the doors of the 
great cathedral with iron work. He performed this work, which was won¬ 
derful in its beautiful effects, secretly, by a process known only to himself. 
Bits of this iron were broken off at various times by people who wanted 
to discover how the work was done. Numerous theories were advanced, 
one of which affirms that the iron was cast, “and then treated with a file! 
This shows that the file at that time was becoming a necessary part of the 
smith’s equipment It proves, too, that it must have reached a very high 
state of perfection to have enabled a man to do such fine work in metal. 

It was not until the 14th century, however, that those who practiced art 
in ironwork began to use other tools besides heat and the hammer regularly. 

We read that “file and saw, vise and drill were called to his (the 
smith’s) aid.” 

The use of these tools gave greater command over the metal as well 
as better results in the work. This, too, would tend to show a steady 
improvement in the file, rendering it more applicable to heavy work in metal. 

Again, we find a reference to the fourteenth century grille in the 
Cloister of LePuy-en-Velay. Continuing his description of this, the writer 
says: 

“The caps and bases are produced by the hammer without the use of 
the file — processes soon afterwards abandoned.” This again would seem 
to indicate the growing importance at that time of the use of the file in 
metal work, the rough finish obtained from the hammer alone being 
replaced by the smoother effects acquired by filing down the rough parts 
and joints. 

In the middle of the fifteenth century Nueremberg was the foremost 
place of production of files, but when the thirty-years’ war paralyzed the 
industry of Germany, Sheffield, England, became the center of file manu¬ 
facturing. Tradition says that from the earliest times the manufacture of 
files has been carried on in Sheffield. This is, no doubt, true, because we 
know that Sheffield held front rank in the manufacture of tools for hun¬ 
dreds of years. However, there is a record which states that the first file 
was made there in 1618. 

When the Calvinists were driven from France, and the Netherlands, 
in 1685, a great number emigrated to Reimscheid, in the present Rheinish- 
Prussia, and this district goon became the headquarters for the tool- 

industry of the world. 
An auxiliary cause for 
this was the abundance of 
water power to be had in 
this district, and Reim¬ 
scheid has ever since sent 
out files to all parts of 
the world. 

Files at that time 
were classified accord¬ 
ing to their size, the way 
Roman Knife Files found at Tilchester, Roman Site, they were packed their 
A. D. 43 to 30D form, and also the pur- 

pose for which they were 
intended. The “coarse” files were heavier, as well as deeper cut, than 
the “finer.” With the “coarse” files were counted the “hand” files, “arm” 
files—sometimes as heavy as 20 pounds — and the “packing” files. They 





Disston—History of the File 


Page 17 


were also frequently called the “straw-files,” because they were shipped 
tied together with straw ropes. Fleischman, in Reimscheid, made a 
“coarse” file to order that had two hinges, and weighed forty-six pounds. 

All these files were made for rough work and were bastard-cut, or 
so-called “Jack-files.” The finer files were generally named after the 
shape of their cross-cuts, and were also known as dozen files, because 
usually packed by the dozen. 

The continued absence of examples of files of even this later period 
can be accounted for not only through the inevitable rust and consequent 
disintegration, but also from the fact that steel was still so valuable that 
when a file was worn out, it was probably used to make some other 
implement. 

The Swiss began the manufacture of files at a very early date, but 
just when this was is difficult to say. They have always been noted for 
the excellence of their files, but they made a specialty of the very fine files 
used in the manufacture of jewelry, and, in later times, by watch-makers. 






Half-round Files unearthed in London. Period unknown. They are all on the 

order of Rasps. 


In America, during the days of the early colonies, most of the files 
that might be required were imported from abroad, though a few artisans 
who had learned the trade in their mother countries may have produced 
some for local use. It is claimed that in 1698 there were in Philadelphia 
“artificers of many kinds, among them cutlers, gunsmiths, locksmiths, 
nailers, and file-cutters.” The records also show that a concern named 
Broadmeadow & Company was making files in a small way at their 
factory in Pittsburgh, Pa., about 1829. With this exception, prior to 1840 
the manufacture of files was practically unknown in the United States. 

About 1845 the making of files on a small scale was begun at 
Matteawan, N. Y., by John Rothery, an Englishman. It is reported that 
he made excellent files, and his success induced others to enter into the 
business of making files. From that time the manufacture of files took 




Page 18 


Disston—History of the File 


a firm foothold in this country, but up until about 1864, Europe continued 
to supply the greater number of files used in America. It was a long 
uphill fight for the American file manufacturer, for most of the mechanics 
had come from abroad and were naturally prejudiced in favor of the 
files they had learned to use at home. 



Disston—History of the File 


Page ip 


Chapter II 

MAKING THE MODERN FILE 

m HE manufacture of files, until comparatively recent times, was done 
entirely by hand. Just what methods the ancients pursued in mak¬ 
ing their files it is hard to say, but they must have followed sim¬ 
ilar methods to those in vogue up to about sixty years ago. 

In cutting files by hand, the necessary tools are so simple, that, 
without doubt, those in use in the later days of the art, were similar to 
what the hand cutters of past generations must have used. 

Roman files that have been found at Aliso, Halstatt and Come- 
Chandron, particularly those found at Halstatt, are of especial interest as 
they show one of the earlier methods of producing the teeth. That is, in 
some of the early files the teeth themselves were formed by filing. The 
files mentioned above gave every evidence of having been used for this 
purpose. The filing of the teeth, however, seems soon to have been 
replaced entirely by cutting. A chisel made of good steel made it possible 
to manufacture the file much quicker than by the filing method. 

In preparing the file blanks for cutting by hand the early stages were 
much the same as today. The blanks were forged to shape out of bars of 
steel that had previously been rolled. The forged blanks were then 
annealed to make them more susceptible to the cutting edge of the hard 
steel chisel. 

After the annealing process the surfaces of the blanks were cleaned 
and leveled so that the entire surface was accurate. This was done by 
grinding and filing. The usual practice being to file the small blanks and 
grind the large ones. 

Then the blank was slightly oiled to allow the chisel to slip over it 
easily. It was then ready for the file-cutter. This man was seated before 
a square iron anvil, usually solidly mounted on a heavy stone base. Pro¬ 
vided with blocks of lead having appropriate grooves to fit files of various 
forms, he selected the one required and placed it on the anvil, adjusted 
the file blank in the groove, with the tang toward him. To hold the blank 
in place while being cut leather straps were used. These passed over 
each end of the file, and the ends were held down by the workman’s foot. 

The cutter would select a chisel suitable for the cuts to be made. See 
Fig. 13 A and B. Then with a hammer and this chisel he would cut the 
teeth in the blank by a rapid succession of blows, each time moving the 
chisel a slight, but regular distance, toward himself. The workman was 
aided in gauging this distance by the slight ridge or burr raised in advance 
of the tooth being cut, at each blow of the chisel. This is shown quite 
clearly in Fig. 13 C. For each new tooth the chisel was slid until it met 
this ridge, when it was ready for the next cut. 

The chisel, held at an angle, cuts the groove and at the same time 
raises one edge of the metal, thus forming the tooth. 

The hammer used in file cutting was of peculiar shape and weighed 
sometimes as much as six pounds. This caused great bodily exertion, 
which, in conjunction with the constrained position of the file cutter oyer 
the anvil, was very injurious to health. All this has been done away with 
by the use of machines, but that will be described later. 

Where double cut files were being made the first cuts (so-called “over¬ 
cut”) had to be oiled over to allow the chisel to slip over the surface, 




Page 20 


Disston—History of the File 



Half Round File discovered on Hood Hill, Dorset, Romano-British Site. 
Period B. C. 50 to A. D. 50. 



Combined Flat and Round File discovered at Hallstatt. Date about 600 B. C. 




Cranked File found among the Roman Remains at Silchester. Date 300 A. D. 
Teeth 5 to the inch, rather shallow, apparently filed in. 




Rasp and Knife-Shaped Files discovered by Professor Flinders Petrie, at Thebes. 

Date about B. C. 670. 













Disston—History of the File 


Page 21 


which would otherwise have been too rough. First cuts were smoothed 
over with a file so the chisel would work freely. 

During this operation of hand cutting the file became slightly bent. 
To eliminate the danger of breakage, the file was heated to a red heat 
before being straightened. It was then ready for the hardening, which 
was, of course, performed according to the individual ideas of the maker, 
but was substantially the same as used today with the exception that open 
fires were used. 

The tangs were softened a little after this operation to prevent 
breakage. 

Hand-made files were produced with an astonishing degree of dexterity 
which was only to be acquired by long practice. The burrs cut on a file 
with a sharp-edged chisel were 
produced at the rate of 150 to 
200 per minute. While traced 
by the sense of touch alone, 
the lines were nearly as 
straight as though cut by a 
machine. Such skill was long 
thought to be proof against the 
aggression of machinery. As 
a matter of fact, the 
wholesale introduction of 
machinery into file mak¬ 
ing would probably have 
been deferred until a 
great deal later date than 
it was had it not been 
for the chronic discon¬ 
tent of the file makers 



themselves. In those days 
strikes for higher wages 
were very frequent and 
the manufacturer was 
eventually compelled to 
choose between labor- 
saving machinery or loss 


Typical hammers used by hand-file cutters. They 
were made and used in England and brought to the 
United States by their owners. 

The illustrations are about one-fifth size. The 
larger hammer weighs seven and one-half pounds, the 
smaller one about two pounds. The grooves in the 
handle of the latter have been worn in by the grasp of 
the hand through many years’ use. 

The peculiar shape allows for the direction of the 
blow and gives tne weight at the lower end of ham¬ 
mer-head, providing greater ease in working. 


of trade. This brings us 

to the history of file cutting machines. 

As stated, the file-cutters themselves were mainly responsible for the 
final adoption’of machinery in the manufacture of files. 

While it was not until around 1860 that this change began to take 
place, the efforts of inventors had been directed toward the perfection of a 
suitable machine for several centuries. It is. a well-known fact that the 
ancients showed remarkable mechanical genius and produced, the. basic 
ideas for many modern tools and machines. . Yet there is nothing in his¬ 
tory to show that they ever dreamed of cutting the file in any other way 
than by hand. The first authentic record of a machine for the. cutting of 
files has been obtained from a manuscript left by the great Italian painter, 
Leonardo da Vinci. He was also a sculptor, architect, and civil and mill- 





Page 22 


Disston—History of t}ie File 


tarv engineer, as well as a scientific inventor, and a man of universal 
genius He excelled in mathematics, physics, botany, anatomy, literature, 
and philosophy. He was most famous, however, as a painter. 1 he cele¬ 
brated picture, Mona Lisa, the theft of which caused quite a commotion 
some years ago, was from his brush. In 1502 he was appointed chief engi¬ 
neer and architect of the Duke Caesar’s army, and it was during this serv¬ 
ice that he conceived the idea of a file-cutting machine. Fig. 14 shows 



Fig. 14.—Copy of sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, illustrating his invention of 
Cutting Machine, 1505 A. D. 


File- 


a reproduction from his drawing of this machine which he invented some 
time before 1505. An examination of this drawing shows that all parts of 
the machine have been carefully carried out and it is complete in all 
details. According to his description, he intended to make the machine 
independent of crank and “manpower.” A weight and rope set the main 
shaft in motion. The length of rope and height of weight (giving length 
of ultimate downward travel) to be according to the length of file to be cut. 

This device shows his wonderful inventive capacity and mechanical 
skill, since even sixty years ago we had not advanced much farther than 
the design here shown. 


















Disston—History of the File 


Page 23 


Mathurin Jousse in a work entitled “La Fidelle Ouverture de l’Art 
de Serrurier,” published at La Flesche in Aujon, 1627, gives a drawing 
and description of one in which the file is drawn along by shifts by means 
of wheel work, the blow being given by a hammer. 

Another machine was invented by a French mechanic named Duverger. 
It has been stated that he produced this machine about 1735, but according 
to the Journal des Savants, published by the Academie des Sciences in 
1702, he brought out this machine and presented it to the Academie in 
1699. The description in this journal is very complete, and it seems that 
the machine attracted wide attention at the time. 

In 1725, another file-cutting machine was invented by Fardonet. Thiout 
in his “Traite de l’Horologie,” published at Paris in 1740, describes still 
another machine. Brachal and Gamain also produced machines in 1756 
and 1778. 

James Watt, the famous Scottish engineer and inventor of the modern 
condensing steam engine, endeavored to make a file-cutting machine. He 
was not successful because he did not have a “pressure, foot.” This is a 
device which holds the file firmly in place during the cutting operation, and 
it was not until it was perfected that a machine became really serviceable. 

While these machines were crude and only partially successful, they 
showed the way for other inventive minds. One of these later inventors 
who met with more practical success was another French mechanic named 
Raoul. In 1800, he produced a machine which made excellent files. He 
obtained a report on them from a committee of the Lycee des Arts in 
which it was stated that they were equal to the best English hand-made 
files. His machine, however, was only used to make watchmakers’ files. 

At first sight, it would appear from the simplicity and continual 
repetition of the movements required in file-cutting that it was an opera¬ 
tion especially adapted to be performed by machinery. Nevertheless,, it 
was not until many years after the first inventor of a file-cutting machine 
had patented his device that file-cutting machines were successfully used, 
and that machine-cut files could compete with the hand-made product in 
the market. Over two centuries passed between the suggestion and the 
perfection of the file-cutting machine. 

The advent of the file-cutting machine was marked by a great deal of 
opposition, for most file-makers claimed that high-grade files could not be 
made by machine. The early failures bore them out in this contention, for 
when first made by machine, the machine had a tendency to curl the tooth. 
This prevented the tooth from being sharp, and the file failed to do its 
work, but today, one wonders how a file could ever have been properly 
made by hand. 

It has been said that the early failure, of many machine-made files was 
caused by lack of care in the selection of the material used, not entirely by 
the lack of efficiency in the machines, for with a machine-made file the 
teeth are of equal height and every tooth cuts. In the hand-made file the 
teeth vary—sometimes to a considerable extent. A machine-cut file will 
really do more work and last longer than a hand-cut. It took time to 
prove this, however. , , . .. . „ , 

The Swiss, always famous for the quality of their files, especially the 
small sizes for dentists, watchmakers, etc., are said to have been among 
the first to use machinery. , 

While hand-file makers claimed that the peculiar angles at which the 
chisel must be held precluded the same results with.machines, investigators 
discovered that the results obtained from the action of the chisel were 
only according to natural laws which machines could easily produce. 




Page 24 


Disston—History of the File 


The failures of the early file-cutting machinery, however, discouraged 
mechanics, and led them to believe that nothing could ever equal the hand- 
cut file. 

The first effort to build a suitable file-cutting machine in the United 
States, so far as can be ascertained, was made by Morris B. Belknapp, of 
Greenfield, Mass. On January 16, 1812, he patented a file-cutting machine 
which did not prove commercially successful. A certain William T. James 
also patented a file-cutting machine in the same year. 

In 1836, Captain John Ericsson, then in England, patented a file-cut- 
ting machine which is described in Holzapffel’s work on “Mechanical 
Manipulation,” where it is stated that one machine could do the work of 
ten men. This was followed in 1847 by an ingenious machine invented by 
George Winslow, of Boston. 

As in the case of 
many other inventions, as 
soon as the first machine 
appeared there came a 
rush of imitators. There 
was, as a consequence, 
quite a lengthy list of 
patents taken out on file¬ 
cutting machines around 
this time. It would be 
useless to name them all. 
Therefore, only those 
possessing the most meri¬ 
torious points, or which 
laid the foundation, for 
future improvements, 
have been mentioned. 

The first really prac¬ 
ticable machine was 
that invented by E. Ber- 
not, of Paris. This ma¬ 
chine, which is shown in 
Fig. 15, was used to 
some i extent with suc¬ 
cess in France and Bel¬ 
gium, and about 1860 
was introduced into 
Great Britain. It was 
patented in the United 
States, July 24, 1860, and 
later was brought into 
Fig. IS. Machine invented by EJ. Bernot—the first prac- the country. 

tical file-cutting machine. j n 1862 M D 

Whipple, of Cambridge, 
. . Mass., made a number 

of improvements for file-cutting machines, but the biggest step forward 
was when, in the same year, some enterprising capitalists in Baltimore 
secured the. right to make and use Bernot’s file-cutting machine in this 
country. Nine of these machines were built with slight modifications and 
set up in Pawtucket, R. I., where they ran with great success. 

On January 16 and June 13 in 1864, patents were again issued to 





Disston—History of the File 


Page 25 



Morris B. Belknapp, of Greenfield, Mass., for a new machine for cutting 
files and sickles. This machine cut from five to six dozen twelve-inch 
files daily. On April 11, of this year, patents were also issued to Charles 
Hesser and Amos Paxson, of Philadelphia, as well as to William T. 
James, of Greenwich, N. Y., for file-cutting. 

In 1865, W. T. Nicholson, of Providence, R. I., invented a file-cutting 
machine, which, as improved and modified from time to time, is still 
extensively used in the United States. 

In the sharpening of saws, a great many files are used. During the 
War of the Rebellion, Henry Disston & Son (this being the firm name at 
the time), unable to obtain files which would give satisfaction, found it 
necessary to make files for their own use. This becoming known, it was 
not long before requests were received from customers that they be 
supplied. The demand 
increasing, it was de¬ 
cided to enter the field 
of file-making, and in 
1866 a plant was equip¬ 
ped and additional 
skilled workmen em¬ 
ployed to turn out high- 
grade files. As with his 
saws, Henry Disston 
always wanted to turn 
out the best, so he gave 
his attention to the pro¬ 
duction of a file that 
would be superior in 
quality, shape, and cut¬ 
ting power of teeth. Al¬ 
though his first files were 
made by hand, he early 
realized the necessity of 
machines in the produc¬ 
tion of perfect files. 

As none of the ma¬ 
chines so far invented 
were considered. exactly 
perfect, the Disston 
Works carried on ex¬ 
tensive experiments in 
the production of file¬ 
cutting machinery that 
would be adequate to 
meet every demand. 

Their efforts were suc¬ 
cessful. In 1877, the 
Disston Works started 
to make files by the aid of their own machines. Constant improvements 
were made from year to year until today the teeth of Disston files are 
cut upon the most perfect file-cutting machines. 

In 1866, the Sheffield Telegraph, of Sheffield, England, held a contest 
to reach a final decision as to whether machine or hand-cut files were 
best. One side of each file used was machine-cut. and the other hand-cut. 


Fig. 16. A Disston File-Cutting Machine—the finest 
type of modern machine. 






Page 26 


Disston—History of the File 


After exhaustive tests the firms trying out these files without a knowledge 
of which side was which, decided in favor of the machine-cut files, which 
forever settled a controversy that had been waged for two centuries. 

As has been shown in the foregoing history of the file, many of the 
present forms of the file were substantially originated in the earliest days 
of its history. These have been modified and added to as the knowledge 
of file manufacture increased, and new and different uses were discovered. 
There are today a large variety of files being made. These various forms 
will be taken up in the later parts of this article, but we will first con¬ 
sider the making.of the modern file. In describing its manufacture the 
word file is used in its broad sense as applied to both files and rasps, irre¬ 
spective of either size or form. 



Steel Room, Cutting to Multiples or Sections. 


Although not the oldest manufacturers of files in this country, the 
Disston File Works today is well equipped, and turns out the greatest 
variety of files made. A general description of the Disston methods 
therefore, will give a clear idea of the manufacture of the modern file. 

There are, of course, quite a number of points upon which the high- 
grade file depends for its superiority. The principal ones are: 

Tough steel of a high grade suitable i6r the purpose. 

Proper forging and annealing. 

Sharp and well-formed teeth. 

Thorough hardening. 

Careful inspection at every stage of the work. 





Disston—History of the File 


Page 27 


The real basis of the file is the steel. All manufacturers endeavor 
to obtain the very finest steel possible for the purpose, but the quality of 
the steel is bound to vary to some extent unless the manufacturer has 
some way of controlling the output. Steel for making files requires a 
high percentage of carbon to obtain the requisite hardness. This carbon- 
content is apt to vary unless the “mix” is carefully regulated. 

Henry Disston & Sons began to make crucible steel as early as 1855 
so that when they took up the manufacture of files they were in a position 
to obtain steel of a high and uniform quality. The Disston Steel Works, 
which includes the melting department^ rolling mills, steam hammer shop 
and trimming room, occupy several commodious buildings. Laboratories 
where the chemical and physical tests are made of the steel, as well 



Forging. 

as constant experiments with proper ingredients to maintain and enhance 
its quality, are conducted in connection with the steel works. 

After the special steel has been carefully and properly melted, it is 
poured into moulds. When the steel is cool, the mould is removed and 
the ingot which has been formed is then turned over to the rolling mill, 
where it is reheated and rolled into large bars. These bars are then cut 
into smaller pieces, and the pieces are again heated and run through differ¬ 
ent size rolls, which reduce the diameter, but increase the length. The last 
roll through which the steel passes reduces it to the particular size and 
imparts the shape or form desired, such as round, half-round, flat, three- 
square, etc., each thickness and shape being specially rolled. 






Page 28 


Disston—History of the File 


It may be of general interest to learn that in rolling steel for a 14-inch 
flat file, which is approximately liVinch wide by ^-inch thick, the bar, 
as referred to above, measures 4 inches by 4 inches, 24 inches long. This 
is heated and rolled through one roll after another continuously, until it 
is reduced to the size and shape required for the file and is then approxi- 



Tang of a File. 


mately 50 feet in length. This long bar or rod of steel is cut in ten or 
twelve-foot lengths and sent to the file works, where it is cut into multiples 
the length of the file to be made. 



Two of the Annealing Ovens where the blanks are softened before cutting the teeth. 


The first step, then, in the actual manufacture of the file is the cutting 
of these long rods of steel into pieces or sections of the required length. 
The pieces of steel thus formed are termed file blanks. 

The file blank is then “tanged.” The tang is the smooth, pointed end 
on a file which is usually fitted to a handle in using, although very fre¬ 
quently the file is employed without the handle. The tang, while forming 
















Disston—History of the File 


Page 29 


part of the file, is never included when measuring the length of a file. 

For the tanging operation the blanks are taken to the forging room 
where one end is heated and forged or shaped into the tang. The operator 
is seated before an automatic hammer with a small furnace close at hand, 
in which the blanks are inserted and one end heated, the temperature of 
the furnace being uniformly maintained at a certain degree of heat. 
Forging the tang requires a certain amount of skill, but so expert are the 
men who do the work and so quick their actions, keeping time with the 
rise and fall of the power-driven hammer, that the tang is formed in less 
time than it takes to describe it. 

In the case of some of the shapes of files, after the tang is formed, 
the other end of the blank is heated and forged to shape or rounded. 



Grinding File Blanks. 


Before the blanks can be ground and the teeth cut it is necessary to 
soften the metal. This is called annealing, and is the next step in their 
manufacture. To do this the blanks are put in air-tight metal boxes, placed 
in an oven, and subjected to a predetermined degree of heat for a number 
of hours When taken out of this oven they must remain m these boxes 
until cold. Otherwise the whole annealing process would be useless, for 
the files would become hard again if allowed to cool in the open air. 

These various heating and reheating operations through which the file 
blank has passed cause it to warp, or twist, and it is necessary next to take 
them to the straightening department, where they are made level for the 
grinding operation which follows. This grinding operation is quite an 












Page 30 


Disston—History of the File 


important factor in the making of a file, for the blank must be ground to 
remove the scale and oxidizing and made perfectly even, or else when 
toothed the teeth will not be uniform. 

After being ground, the blanks are “stripped.” This operation takes 
away the glaze left after grinding and prepares the surface for cutting. 
By a special process the file blank is rubbed down, or filed by a finished 
file especially made for the purpose. This work is done on a machine, but 
it is necessary for the operator in attendance to constantly rub on a prepa¬ 
ration which renders the surface of the blank even, flat, smooth and 
firm. 



“Stripping” and “Cutting” Small Files. 


After the stripping process the blanks go to the cutting room where 
the teeth are cut in them. This operation was formerly done slowly and 
laboriously by hand, as we have previously described. It is now done 
entirely by machine in the Disston Works, although certain classes of 
odd shapes of files are cut by hand. Modern practice has demonstrated, 
however, that the hand-cut file cannot possibly possess the same high 
efficiency that a machine-cut file does for the reason that the machine 
will do the work uniformly from the beginning of the day to its close. 
During the cutting operation the blank is secured in a “bed” which travels 
back and forth under a chisel that “raises” the teeth at a speed the 
eye can hardly follow. When double cut files are being made the blank 
is put through the machine and “overcut.” Then the position of the bed 
is shifted to one side and the second, or “upcut” is put on, the teeth running 












Disston—History of the File 


Page 31 


in an opposite direction. On some machines the chisel is turned instead 
of the bed. On page 25, Fig. 16, is illustrated one of the machines on 
which Disston files are cut. This style of machine represents the highest 
development in file-cutting machines, and is one of the many reasons why 
Disston files are so superior, both in the efficiency and endurance of the 
teeth. Aside from the machines being differently constructed, the main 
difference between cutting files and rasps lies in the chisel used. For files 
the chisel cuts an angle all the way across the file at one stroke, while 
the bed moves steadily. In cutting rasps, however, a pointed punch of 
peculiar form is used. This punch travels back and forth across the 
blank, the bed moving only after each row of teeth is completed. 

In cutting half-round files the chisel cuts the teeth in rows, length- 


“Cutting” I,arge Files. 

wise of the file blank instead of straight across, the bed being moved 
back and the position of the blank changed as each row is finished. 

When the teeth have been cut the files pass into the inspecting room 
where a thorough examination is made of the teeth. If these are not 
absolutely perfect the file is rejected. 

After passing inspection the file is “cropped” or cut to exact length. 
This operation consists of cutting a small portion off the point of the file 
to bring it to proper length. When “cropped” the file is stamped with 
the famous Disston brand on the end just above the tang. 

With the very small sizes of files it is necessary to straighten them 
after the teeth are cut. This is done by placing the file on a lignum vitae 








Page 32 


Disston—History of the File 


block and striking it a light blow with a lead hammer, which will straighten 
the file without affecting the teeth. 

The file is then covered with a paste that protects the edges of the 
teeth during the heating for the hardening process, which is one of the 
most important operations. The coated file is heated by being immersed 
in molten lead, withdrawn and plunged deep in a bath, moved back and 
forth a few times until somewhat cooled. While the file is still hot it is 
given a final straightening. 

From a comparatively soft state the file has now become so hard that 
an attempt to bend it will cause it to break. Files are never tempered, but 
hardened to a particular degree which gives greatest durability. After this 
comes the “scrubbing” and “drying.” The first of these operations removes 



Hardening Files. 


from the file the paste that was put on to protect the teeth during harden¬ 
ing. In the second, the files are washed in lime water and are dried by 
holding them in steam. 

The next and last operation in the making of a file before the final 
inspection, is “blueing” the tangs, and oiling the file. This “blueing” opera¬ 
tion toughens the tang against breakage when putting on the handle. 
It is done by heating and dipping the tang into a preparation that is 
maintained at a certain degree of heat. 

Each file is then oiled, neatly arranged in wooden trays and sent to 
the inspectors for final examination and test for straightness, cutting qual¬ 
ity and durability. 








Disston—History of the File 


Page 33 


Successfully passing the examination, they are proved as to cutting 
quality by the inspector drawing the “prover”—a piece of steel harder than 
any the file is intended to cut-over each side of the file; if the file 
“takes hold” of this it is next given the “ring” test, the inspector dropping 
one end of the file on a block of steel and determining by the ring if it is 
sound and true. The files are now ready for the final step—packing. 

In the manufacture of superfine files, of which Henry Disston & 
Sons make a specialty, the majority of the operations are similar to the 
methods we have been describing. Steel of the same quality is used. It 
is cut into multiples in the usual manner, followed by the “tanging,” 
“annealing,” “straightening” and “grinding” operations with which the 
reader is now familiar. 



Section of Superfine File Department. 


The method of manufacture differs slightly after the grinding opera¬ 
tion. The superfine file blank is put through a “shaping” process which 
corresponds in effect to the “stripping” operation in the case of the 
larger files. 

To do this the file blank is secured in a vise, and the soft surface (the 
blank not having been hardened as yet) is smoothed down with a finished 
file made especially for the purpose. 

As in the “stripping” operation described for regular files, this process 



















Page 34 


Disston—History of the File 


is necessary to make the surface of the blank smooth and even before the 
cutting operation, which follows. . . 

Owing to the fineness of teeth and the different shapes in which the 
Superfine Files are made, the “toothing” operations are also somewhat 

different. , , , . 

On files that are made for extra fine work, such as those for jewelers , 
dentists’, and surgeons’ use, the teeth are “etched” in. This method of 
toothing a superfine file is done with an apparatus of very peculiar construc¬ 
tion. It differs radically from the methods used in cutting larger files, 
involving a greater amount of hand work, but this is necessary on account 
of the fineness of the teeth. 

In cutting the teeth of a half-round superfine file it is necessary to use 
two “beds.” When the file blank is fitted in the “groove” of the first “bed’ 
the file blank is nearly on edge with the flat side toward the operator. The 
teeth are then “raised” or cut in narrow rows at an angle to the line of 
the file blank only half way round. Another “bed” is then substituted. 
This also stands the file blank nearly On edge, but with the round side 
toward the operator. The teeth are cut toward the center until they meet 
the last row of teeth cut from the other side. To shift the “bed” so that 
the chisel can cut each row, a'worm-gear, adjusted by the operator is used. 

In the case of a single-cut file the cutting of the teeth would now be 
finished, but in cutting double-cut files the operation is gone over again. 
This time the center of the chisel is over the spot where two rows of teeth 
connect. In this way the chisel “upcuts” over half of each row--the 
“upcut” teeth running in an opposite direction to the first teeth. 

After the toothing operation, the Superfine File goes through another 
straightening process before the hardening. This straightening is also done 
with a lead hammer so that the teeth will not be damaged in any way. _ 

It is then taken to the hardening room and hardened, which operation, 
together with the “straightening,” “scrubbing,” “drying” and tang “blue¬ 
ing” that follow, is done in the same manner as with larger files. 

The files are then sent to the inspecting room where they are given 
the final inspection and tests similar to that described on regular files 
before being packed. 



Disston—History of the File 


Page 35 


Chapter III 

FORMS AND USES OF FILES 



HE foregoing closed the history of the file as well as the details of 
its making. To make this article more complete, however, it will 
be extended to embrace a general description of the forms and uses 
of the modern file; for so widespread is the use of this tool—so 
interwoven with the industries of the world—that it has become 


very nearly indispensable. 

Files, apcording to the purposes for which they are intended, differ in 
shape, thickness and in “cut” or form of teeth. Many files of different 
shapes have teeth of similar form, as there are only a certain number of 


SINGLE CUT 


Particularly adapted for Saw Filing, also used on Lathe Work by Machinists and by 
some classes of Wood Workers, Carriage Builders, etc. 




Bastard 




These “cuts” are in general use for 12-inch Files. On Files longer than 12 inches 
the “cut” is made proportionately coarser and finer on shorter lengths. 


standard forms of “cut.” For this reason the variations in the “cut” or 
form of teeth will be considered first. With a thorough understanding of 
this, later references will be much clearer. 

In the first place, the term “cut” refers to two characteristics of the 
teeth and is a general term that must be supplemented with a more definite 
designation when an exact description of the file is intended. The kind 













Page 36 


Disston—History of the File 


DOUBLE CUT 

Especially adapted for use in Machine Shops, Locomotive Works, Foundries and 

similar classes of work. 



Second Cut 



Smooth 
RASP CUT 



Bastard 



Dead Smooth 


Used by Blacksmiths, Horseshoers, Plumbers, Cabinet Makers, Wood Workers, Etc. 



Horse 


Rough 


Middle 



Bastard 


Second Cut 


Smooth 













Disston—History of the File 


Page 37 


or character of the teeth in a file, as well as the degree of coarseness or 
fineness, are both embraced in the general term “cut,” but each of these 
characteristics has its separate classification. The character of the teeth 
is described under three main divisions, viz: Single Cut, Double Cut and 
Rasp Cut. 

The Single Cut file has one unbroken course of teeth or chisel 
cuts across its surface, parallel to each other, but usually at an oblique 
angle to the length of the file, and, chisel-like, makes a smooth cut. A 
few patteriis of files, however, have the teeth cut square across the face 
of the file and more widely spaced. This is called the Float Cut and is 
used for filing lead, babbitt or other soft metals, and also for cork and 
wood. The wide space between the teeth is necessary that the file may 
free itself of the cuttings, which in a finer cut file would fill up and 
clog the teeth. 

The Single Cut is used on the majority of Mill Files, Taper Saw and 
other Saw Files. 

The Double Cut file has two courses of chisel cuts crossing each 
other and both oblique across the file blank. The first course is called 
the “over-cut” and the second course the “up-cut,” its direction being across 
the first course, the chisel cuts through the over-cut, consequently the teeth 
of double cut files are “points,” and those of single cut files are chisels. 
Double Cut is used on all machinists’ files, such as Flat, Hand, Square, 
Round, Half-Round, etc. 

Rasp Cut differs from both the above in that the teeth are not 
placed in parallel rows across the file, but each tooth is detached or put 
in separately by a pointed tool or punch. While cutting uniformly, rasp 
teeth, because they are larger and raised higher, cut much faster than 
either single or double cut teeth. 

The illustrations of “cuts” on the preceding pages are engraved from 
files and rasps 12 inches long; if longer than 12 inches the cuts will be 
coarser, and if shorter, they will be finer in proportion. 

The degree of coarseness is denoted by the names Bastard, Second 
Cut and Smooth. In addition to these there are coarser cuts known as 
Rough and Coarse; also a finer cut identified as Dead Smooth. 

The name “Bastard” as applied to the cut of a file comes from the 
days when files were entirely cut by hand and it is supposed to have been 
given to a “cut” between what was termed “Rough Cut” and the finer grades 
of cutting, and the file became a standard, taking the place of Rough or 
coarse cuts and has been known since then as the “Bastard Cut.” The 
same is the case in the names of “Flat” Bastard and ‘ Hand Bastard files, 
while both are the same as to cut, they vary a little in shape and both are 
often used for the same purpose. . * , , 

The various groups or classes of files have certain accepted standards 
for the cuts to be used. Reference to the explanation above of the Single 
and Double Cuts as well as to the illustrations will afford a fairly com¬ 
plete index to these. It is well to bear in mind that a rough-cut or 
coarse file has the least number of teeth to the inch, while the smooth- 
cut” or fine files have the greatest. . 

Exceptions to the standard forms and cuts of files are sometimes 
found in the various trades. To meet certain conditions peculiar to a 
business special forms and cuts are necessary. . 

In this connection it is well to state that while there are accepted 
standards for the character of the teeth, there is no established rule fixing 
any certain number of teeth to the inch for any particular cut. Conse- 



Page 38 


Disston—History of the File 


quently there is more or less of a variation in the number of teeth cut to 
the inch by different manufacturers. Owing to the very large quantity oi 
files used in the shops of Henry Disston & Sons—over 35,000 dozen annu 
ally in their saw works and handle department and machine shops—they 
are in an exceptionally favorable position to judge the results obtained 
from all classes of teeth. The standards which they have adopted, there¬ 
fore, may be taken as the final word regarding the shape and number of 
teeth to the inch necessary to obtain the highest efficiency from a file. 

PRINCIPAL FORMS OF FILES 



Great American Horse Rasp Shoe Rasp 

The above are actual size sections of files of the length stated on cuts. The illustra¬ 
tions of files following, however, are considerably reduced in size, but snow 
comparative shape. 

Having explained as clearly as possible in the foregoing, the differ¬ 
ences in the teeth of files, we will now take up the varieties of files, 
together with some of their uses. 

Modern files, though employed chiefly in the forming and finishing of 
metals and wood, are also used to a considerable extent upon other sub¬ 
stances, such as bone, leather, celluloid, hard rubber, etc. The general 
use of files is in shaping small pieces, or in finishing surfaces which 
are already of approximately correct form. In machine shop practice the 
use of the file follows the work of the lathe or planer tools. 

Files are graded by shape, size and fineness -of cut, and the forms 
given to them, as well as the sizes, run into many hundreds. Of all tools 
known there are none used for so many purposes and of so many styles 
and kinds as files. There are several hundred kinds of regular files and 
























Disston—History of the File 


Page 39 



several thousands of regular and special combined all of which are 
designated by a name according to the length, shape and grade of the cu , 
besides the hundreds of special names for the purposes for which they ar 

mad The d sizes d range from the fine, wire-like jewelers’ file to the large, 
heavv machinists’ file—from the tiny superfine broach file, 3 ^ches 1° 
less than 3 ’ 2 -inch in diameter, weighing 1800 to the P oun ^ to the large t 
kind used by machinists for surfacing work, 54 inches long, 3/S inches 
wide, ^-inch thick, weighing 35 pounds each. 














Page 40 


Disston—History of the File 


In the character of 



Double Tang Chisel T 
Mill File File 


:ir teeth they vary even 



Pit Saw Cant 

File File 


more greatly, from the 
deep, coarse Rasp-cut 
files used by farriers 
to the dead-smooth 
surfaces of the deli¬ 
cate little implements 
employed by jewelers. 
Files are classified as 
to coarseness and fine¬ 
ness principally by the 
“cuts” described on 
pages 35 and 36, and 
upon these are based 
the variations which 
are required by the 
class of work to be' 
performed. 

On page 38 are 
shown sections of 
some of the files in 
general use. These 
basic forms, with 
slight deviations, con¬ 
trol the forms of the 
principal files now 
manufactured. Refer¬ 
ences to these sectional 
views, and the “cut” 
illustrations will be of 
considerable aid in 
following the descrip¬ 
tions of files that are 
to follow. 


Under the general 

heading of files are found four groups, viz: Regular files, Rasps, Super¬ 
fine files, and Special files. These four groups in turn resolve themselves 
into other divisions which embrace a great variety of files. 

In picturing and describing these different files, the group of Regular 
files will first be taken up. 











Disston—History of the File 


Page 41 


There are two divisions of Regular files—Saw Files and Machinists’ 
Files. 

As the name implies. Saw files are particularly adapted for sharpening 
saws and also for work similar to filing the edge of plates or sheets, for 
which the Double-Cut files are not suited. They are Single-Cut and in 
degree are usually Bastard, Second-Cut and Smooth. 

The class of work performed in machine shops necessitates a different 
character of “cut’’ from the above—hence machinists’ files are usually 
Double-Cut! and in degree Rough-Cut, Bastard-Cut, Second-Cut and 
Smooth-Cut. 

The repetition above of the word “usually” may appear peculiar, but 
it is used advisedly, for it may truly be said that in no other line of 
manufacture are there so many variations from regular as in the file 
business. 

Of the class of Saw Files the greatest individual, and one having the 
widest range of shapes and sizes and cuts, is the Mill File. 

Mill Files derive their name from the fact that they are used 
principally for filing Mill Saws and for sharpening planer knives. They 
are also used, however, for sharpening mowing and reaping machine 
knives, as well as for certain kinds of work by mechanics, such as lathe 
work, draw-filing, etc. They are used, too, for finishing combinations of 
bronze and brass. Having chisel teeth they leave a comparatively smooth 
surface, which double-cut teeth do not, though double-cut teeth cut faster. 
There are a few Mill Files that are double-cut. 

Mill Files are forged tapering from near center to point. This applies 
to both width and thickness, as they are slightly thinner and narrower at 
point. 

Mill Files are also made with one and two round edges, single-cut both 
on the sides and edges. The round edges make the Mill File more adapt¬ 
able for filing the teeth in circular and other mill saws. The use of the 
round edge prevents sharp corners or notches in the gullets of the saw 
teeth, which lessens the liability of cracking. There is more of a demand 
for the one round edge than the two round edges. 

Blunt Mill Files are parallel in both width and thickness. This gives 
the full width of the surface for the entire length of the file. Otherwise 
they are the same as those just described. These are rarely used by 
millmen, but are mostly in demand for machine shop work. 

The Narrow Point Mill File is another variation of the Mill file. There 
is no particular advantage in the extra narrow point, it being simply a 
matter of preference. Very few Narrow Point Mill Files are sold in the 
United States. The majority of those manufactured go to Canada. 

There is also a special Mill File having what is called a Fine Bastard 
Cut. This is a cut between the Bastard and the Second-cut, and is used by 
many who prefer a file that will meet certain requirements in saw filing 
which a Bastard or Second-cut File will not. 

The Double Tang Mill File is meant for use with two handles.. A man 
can then grasp it conveniently with both hands. It is used chiefly for 
draw filing. . 

A saw file which departs somewhat from the standard form is the 
Chisel Point File. This is made especially for use in sharpening the points 
of inserted tooth circular saws. 

The Pit Saw File is used for filing the teeth in Pit saws and Frame 
saws. When used for the latter purpose it is sometimes asked for under 
the name of Frame Saw File. 

The Cant or Lightning File is frequently used for sharpening the teeth 
.of wood saws, or, as more commonly known, Buck saws. Its principal 



Page 42 


Disston—History of the File 


use, however, is to sharpen the teeth of cross-cut saws having M-shaped 
teeth, and to sharpen the raker teeth of cross-cut saws. 

A very strong example of how it is necessary to make special files 
for special purposes is furnished by the Great American Cross-cut Saw 
File. 

In this case, as well as in many others, almost any file could be used 
with a certain degree 

of success. This, and ^ 

numerous other spe- 
cial files, however, 
have proved by long 
and extensive use that 
no other file can fulfill 
the purpose for which 
a special file is in¬ 
tended. 

The popular 
cross-cut saw known 
as the “Great Ameri¬ 
can” was originated, 
and the name trade- 
marked, by Disston. 

The special form of 
the teeth on this saw 
necessitated a file be¬ 
ing made to suit them. 

This was done and it 
was also trade-marked 
“Great American.” 

By referring to 
the diagram of the 
teeth of a “Great 
American” cross - cut 
saw on page 43 it will 
be seen why this spe¬ 
cial form of file is 
necessary. When the 
file is in the spaces 
marked A, while fil¬ 
ing the bevel on the 
teeth, it will be seen 
that only a wedge- 
shaped file like the 
“Great American” 
could be used to ad¬ 
vantage. On the other 
hand, for filing the 
gullets marked B, a 
specially formed broad 
and rounded edge is 
necessary on the file. 

It is practically im¬ 
possible to sharpen 
the “Great Ameri¬ 
can” saw and obtain 

satisfactory results except by the use of this file. 


Great 
American 
Cross-cut 
Saw File 


Stave 

Saw 

File 


Field’s 
Pattern 
Stave Saw 
File 


Round 

File 






Disston—History of the File 


Page 43 


This detailed explanation, while applying, in this instance, to one par¬ 
ticular file, affords an insight into the causes which have given birth to 
so many varieties of files. 

The Stave Saw File is somewhat similar to the Mill File with two round 
edges. It is formed on slightly different lines, however, to make it 
suitable for the purpose for which it is intended—filing the teeth on 
cylinder saws. A special Stave Saw File of peculiar form is that known 
as Field’s Pattern. This somewhat follows the lines of a Three-Square 
File, except that one edge is broad and rounded. 

Round Files are made for various purposes, such as enlarging holes, 
etc. These are generally tapered, but sometimes they are made parallel 
or of uniform diameter from heel to point. The latter are called Round 
Blunt Files. A Round Blunt File for mill use is the Round Gulleting File. 
Owing to the tapering form of the round files, they are frequently referred 
to as Rat-Tail Files. 

Another gulleting file is known as the Square Gulleting File. This is 

blunt, square in form and 
single-cut on four faces. 

The Topping File is a file 
similar to the Mill File, but 
of heavier stock. 

There are several files 
especially made for band 
saw use. These are along 
the lines of the Taper File, 
and, in fact, Taper Files, reg¬ 
ular and slim, for band saw 
use are regularly made. 
About the only difference 
b b between these and the reg¬ 

ular Taper Saw Files is that 
they have the corners or edges more rounded and have three rows of 
cuts. The “cut” is the same as given the Regular Taper File. Band Saw 
Files include the Blunt and Machine Band Saw Files. The Machine File fits 
in a band saw filing machine which sharpens the teeth automatically. 
These Machine Files are usually about four and one-half inches in length 
and are made both heavy and light as shown in the illustration, (page 45.) 

This completes the list of single-cut files adapted to mill requirements. 
Single-cut saw files intended for hand saws and other small saws will now 
be taken up. Heading the list of these are the Taper Saw Files. Taper 
Files are three-cornered files, similar to, but usually used in smaller lengths, 
than Three-Square Files (which are not adapted for saw filing) ; the prin¬ 
cipal difference between them is the finishing of the edges. Tapers have 
the edges slightly rounded, to leave a round bottom in the gullet of the 
tooth, and these edges are cut as well as the sides. The Three-Square File, 
which is always double-cut, on the other hand, has the edges left quite 
sharp, and uncut. The Taper Saw File is usually single-cut and is used 
generally for sharpening hand saws. For this reason there is probably 
no other file so widely used, or so well known. 

Taper Files are divided into three classes: the regular Taper File, the 
Slim Taper File, the Extra Slim Taper File, and some are made Extra Extra 
Slim. The Slim Taper File is of the same general shape as the regular 
Taper File, but is made of a narrower section of steel for the same length. 
They are preferred by many on account of the greater sweep or stroke 




Page 44 


Disston—History of the File 


obtained from the same thickness of file. The Slim Taper File is partic¬ 
ularly adapted for filing fine tooth saws. 

The Extra Slim and Extra Extra Slim Taper are similar to the Slim 
Taper, but each made of narrower stock and are adapted for filing the 
very fine toothed saws. 

A variation of the Taper 
File is the Reversible Taper 
Saw File. These files are forged 
tapering from the center toward 
both ends and are single-cut in 
same way. This gives the ad¬ 
vantage of two files in one. 

Still another variation is 
the Blunt Saw File. This is tri¬ 
angular in form, but parallel 
in thickness instead of tapering 
to a point. It is “cut” similar 
to a taper file. 

The Little Wonder Saw 
File (illustration page 46) is 
preferred by some mechanics 
for filing hand and other saws 
on account of its special shape 
and the thumb rest on the end. 

Hunt’s Chrome Special 
Three-Square File is particular¬ 
ly adapted for filing fine tooth 
hand saws. 

Another special saw file 
formed along the lines of the 
Cant or Lightning is the Cant 
Safe Back File. This is similar 
in shape, an irregular triangle, 
but is cut only on the broad 
side, the other two sides being 
“safe” or uncut. This file is 
particularly adapted for filing 
the Disston No. 120 Acme 
Handsaw, which is specially 
ground and toothed to run 
without set. 

The Climax File is another 
file especially made for its pur¬ 
pose—that of filing wood saw 
and similar blades. 

The two last mentioned 
files are of special form and by 
their use the original shape of 
the saw teeth will be retained. 

# Before closing this de¬ 
scription of single-cut saw files 
it may be well to call attention 










Disston—History of the File 


Page 45 



to two Taper Files which vary slightly from the usual forms. These 
are made principally for export, as there is no great demand for them in 
this country. # 

One of these is a Taper File cut to the point. That is, the cut is car¬ 
ried to the extreme end, or point, of the file, instead of leaving a small 


















Page 46 


Disston—History of the File 



Slim 
Taper 
Saw File 



Extra Slim Reversible 6-inch Cant Tittle 
Taper Taper Saw Safe Back Wonder 
Saw File File File Saw File 


▼ 



Blunt 
Saw File 















Disston—History of the File 


Page 47 


portion of the point blank. This difference can be seen by comparing the 
illustration (page 44) with those of regular tapers. 

The other is the French Taper File which is similar to the regular file 
in all respects save that the section of steel from which it is made is 
much heavier. 

In taking up Double-Cut Files under the division of saw files it is to be 
noted that many of the forms of files which are generally single-cut, and 
were described under that heading, can also be obtained as Double-Cut 
Files. Mill Files and Taper Saw Files are typical of this. Also, in a 
limited way, Cant and Pit Saw Files. While the double-cut files cut faster, 
the single-cut make a much smoother cut. 

One of the exceptions to the rule that saw files are single-cut is the 
Stubbs’ Pattern Taper Saw File. This file is double-cut down to the point 
and is principally used for filing saws that are harder than usual, such as 
hack saw blades. The most noticeable difference in the Stubbs’ Pattern 
file is found in the tang and the short taper to point. Instead of having 
a shoulder where the body of the file usually drops sharply down to the 
small diameter of the tang, the tang gradually tapers off with the three 
edges carried all the way to the point. 

As practically all saw files are single-cut this description of double-cut 
saw files completes the list of this class of file, except those used on metal¬ 
cutting saws. Files of this nature, however, require a superfine tooth. 

The next sub-division to be considered under the heading of regular 
files is Machine Shop Files. These, like the Saw Files, are also again 
divided into single and double-cut, but the majority are double-cut, just 
as single-cut predominates in the saw files. This is because the greater part 
of machine shop work requires fast, heavy cutting, which is only obtain¬ 
able from a double-cut file. The exception is in the Mill File, which is 
single cut, and is used for lathe work, draw filing and finishing. 

The special single-cut file to be mentioned under this heading, however 
is somewhat of an exception to this statement. This file is called the 
Perfection Shear Tooth. In form, it is usually like the narrow point mill 
file, while its teeth are much coarser and farther apart than in the ordinary 
file. These teeth vary in size according to requirements, and are known 
as coarse, medium or fine cut. (Illustration page 44.) 

The Shear Tooth File is adapted for quick work on metal, such as soft 
steel, iron and brass castings, as well as wood and marble. It is especially 
valuable to machinists and for lathe purposes. In action it makes a shear 
cut, filing rapidly and giving clean, smooth results. 

This style of tooth can be given almost any shape of file when ordered. 

Quite a long list of files are found under the Double-Cut heading for 
machine shop use. The leading files for this work are Hand, Flat, Half- 
Round and Square for bench work, and the Mill file for lathe work, as 
referred to before. These and the other files following are usually made 
in “cuts” Bastard, Second Cut and Smooth. 

Hand files are not so named because they are made or used by hand. 
The name is merely a technical one, designating a particular style of file. 
They are parallel in width, and from about two-thirds of the length taper 
thinner to the point, and are made with one edge “safe” or uncut. These 
files are used chiefly by machinists and engineers for finishing flat surfaces. 

Flat files are tapered both in width and thickness, and are generally 
double-cut on both sides and single-cut on both edges. They are some- 



Page 48 


Disston—History of the File 


times made blunt in form (parallel both in width and thickness), and can 
also be obtained with one or two round edges if required. Flat files are 
made in various degrees of “cut”—Rough, Middle, Bastard, Second Cut 



Taper Hunt’s Climax 

Saw File Chrome File 

Three- 
Square 


Smooth, Dead Smooth, Double 
Dead Smooth. 

In addition to their being 
largely used in machine shops, flat 
files are in great demand by me¬ 
chanics in nearly all lines of work. 

The Half-Round File, which 
divides machine shop honors with 
the Hand and Flat File, is as its 
name implies, half-round in form 
and tapers to the point from about 
two-thirds of its length. This 
shape makes it a most useful file 
for general machine shop work. 
While usually tapered, the half- 
round file can also be obtained as 
a blunt file. 

Round files, already referred 
to on page 43, are also largely em¬ 
ployed in machine shops. They 
are chiefly used for enlarging 
holes.. The round file in blunt 
form is used on the heavier class 
of work. 

There is another special cut 
file, the Hand Bastard for Brass, 
the first course of teeth being 
straight across and the up-cut 
more oblique than ordinarily. 

Resembling the Hand files in 
shape is the New Angle, or Lathe 
Cut File. On this file the first, 
or “over-cut,” is almost straight 
across, instead of at an angle, 
while the second, or “up-cut,” is 
placed at a much greater angle 
than is usual in cutting files. The 
result of this is to get a much 
larger cutting surface on the file 
at one time, making it fast cut¬ 
ting and fine finishing. This file 
is much in demand for lathe work. 

Square Files are used by nearly 
all classes of mechanics for filing 
apertures or dressing out square 
corners. While they are regularly 
made slightly tapering on the 
point, they are also obtainable in 
the blunt (parallel) form. 

The Knife Files are forged 









Page 49 


Disston—History of the File 


• • • ^ • 
tapering and are quite similar in shape to the blade of a pocket knife. 

They are made in lengths from four to fourteen inches, but can be made 
in all sizes. They are usually double-cut on both sides and the upper 
edge left safe or uncut, the thin edge single-cut. Knife files are mainly 
used on metal and for special forms for which its shape is particularly 
adapted, such as die work, etc., having acute angles. 





















Page 50 


Disston—History of the File 


For purposes somewhat similar to the above the Feather Edge File is 
used. This file is parallel in length, its thickest part is in the centre, 
tapering to a thin edge at each side. It is. used for truing up V-shaped 
grooves, filing special shaped teeth in saws, slots, 
etc. 

The Three-Square File, which has been referred 
to on several occasions, is a three-sided file formed 
along the same lines as the taper saw file. Its 
form, in fact, is the basis for the taper saw file. 

The Three-Square File is tapered, the teeth are 
cut all the way to the point, and it is always 
double-cut on all three sides. The edges are un¬ 
cut and left very sharp. It is a popular and much 
used file in the machine shop, but is employed 
chiefly in cleaning out sharp angles and square 
corners, and filing cutters, taps, etc. While re¬ 
sembling the Taper Saw File so closely that a per¬ 
son not familiar with files might mistake one 
for the other, they are entirely useless as saw 
files. The Three-Square File is sometimes made in 
the blunt form. 

The Equaling File is used in machine shop 
work. It is somewhat thinner than the Hand File, 
is parallel in length and thickness and is cut on 
both sides and edges. It is usually ordered of 
a size suitable for the work intended—similar to 
truing up slots—and sometimes required with 
both edges “safe” or uncut. While used for the 
same purpose as a slotting file, they are consid¬ 
erably wider, regularly made four to twelve inches 
in length, whereas the Slotting File ranges from 
ten to eighteen inches in length. They are mostly 
made with “cuts” Bastard, Second-Cut and Smooth. 

The Pillar File is one much like the Hand File 
in section, but narrower. It is cut on both sides 
and one edge, the other being safe or uncut. 
Reference to the sections, or forms, of files on 
page 38 will explain the difference much more 
clearly than it could be written. While tapered, 
the taper is very slight, and only for a short 
space toward and on the point. It is used in 
machine shops on narrow work such as slotting, 
or cutting grooves for cotters, and keys or wedges. 

There are two other files made for this work. 
These are Slotting Files, one type of which is 
made blunt or parallel in width and thickness, and 
the other slightly bellied; that is, with a curva¬ 
ture which runs from the point to the tang. They 
are made from ten to eighteen inches long, cut 
on both sides and one edge, the other left safe, 
and also the Taper Cotter File, a narrow flat file 
which tapers to a point and is cut on the sides and edges. 

The Arch File is of peculiar shape, being thickest at center, tapering 
thinner to heel and to point (see page 52); it is widest at center, 




Feather 
Edge File 


Three 
Square File 






Disston—History of the File 


Page 51 





slightly rounding to narrow point and heel, the edges being usually 
rounded, sometimes made square, and is cut on both sides and edges. It 
is used on work in machine shops where this curvature is desirable. 

The Warding File is 
a very thin file from four 
to fourteen inches in 
length, and is used in 
slotting work by both 
jewelers and machinists, 
but especially by lock¬ 
smiths for putting the 
slots or ward notches in 
keys. 

A sort of connecting 
link between single and 
double-cut files is the 
Planer Knife File. While 
it is sometimes made 
double-cut on both sides, 
in its regular form each 
side is half single-cut 
and half double-cut. 
This file is for sharpen¬ 
ing planer knife blades 
while on the machine. 
This is a quicker and 
easier job than taking 
the blades out and grind¬ 
ing them. 

A file of somewhat 
peculiar form is the Oval 
Tumbler. This is . used 
principally for filing the 
tumblers for locks. It 
can also be used for 
making a round hole 
into an oval shape. 

The Cross File, some¬ 
times called the “Shad- 
belly” is a file which is 
sometimes used in place 
of the Half-Round file, on 
the same sort of work. 
In this file both sides are 
rounded out, but one 
side, which resembles the 
Half-Round file, is higher 
than the other. This 


Equaling 

File 


Pillar 

File 


gives a varying curva¬ 
ture on the same file. 

The Lock File, is spe¬ 
cial in form, which will 
be understood better by 
referring to the illustration on page 53, than through any printed descrip- 


Slotting 

File, 

Bellied, 

Rough 


Slotting 

File, 

Smooth 

Cut 


Taper 

Cotter 

File 







Page 52 


Disston—History of the File 


tion. The Lock File is used for slotting work, mainly in connection with 
the making pf locks and key work. 

For the filing of brass and other similar metals, owing to the soft 
nature of the material, it is necessary to use files with teeth of special 
open or coarse cut, otherwise the filings will be retained between the 
teeth, quickly clogging up the file and cause it to ride over the work 
without cutting. 



Arch 

File 



Warding 

File 




Cross 

File 








Disston—History of the File 


Page 53 


The “Hand Bastard for Brass” is specially made for the purpose. It 
has deep teeth, is a fast cutter and practically a self-cleaner. The “over¬ 
cut” is on a longer angle than usual, while the up-cut is almost straight 
across. This special angle cut can be furnished on any shape file desired. 

A special open cut is given the “Half-Round File for Solder” or soft 
metals, and experience has demonstrated this to be the best for the purpose. 



Lock 

File 



Half 

Round 

Aluminum 

File 


Half 
Round 
File 

for Solder 


Hand 

Bastard 

File, 

for Brass 


Flat 

Aluminum 

File 

















Page 54 


Disston—History of the File 


Coming under this class also, and previously referred to, is the Per¬ 
fection Shear Tooth File, which is adapted for quick work on soft steel, 
iron, brass castings, wood, marble, etc. This extra wide cut can be made 
on all shapes of files. 

A special file for machine shop and foundry use is the Aluminum File, 
designed particularly for filing aluminum patterns. This comes in both 
the flat and half-round forms. 

This completes the list of files in general use for the heavier work in 
machine shops. 



VALVE FILE 


Of. course, there is quite a variety of other shapes of -files used by 
machinists and machinery builders, to describe which would require many 
additional pages. For instance, there is the Triple Valve File, for filing 
sliding valve seats. This file is tanged on one end, the other forged with 
shank, measuring over all .14^4 inches, with square body, in sizes ranging 
from 34/64-inch to 66/64 inches, and a cutting surface 7 inches long. It 
is cut on two sides, the other two are safe or uncut. The blank is 
machined for the reason that files for this character of work must be 
absolutely true. 

Another style is the Valve File, an oblong block of steel, 4 inches long, 
\y 2 inches thick, with countersunk screwholes for the fastening of handle 
by screws. 

Separate and distinct from metal-cutting files are those adapted for 
filing wood, but the latter does not comprise anywhere near the variety 
of sizes, shapes or “cuts” as the former. The teeth in.files for wood 
are widely spaced, but are not as coarse as those for filing soft metal. 

In woodworking there are three shapes of files principally used, the 
Flat, Half-Round and the Cabinet. 

The Flat Wood File is formed on practically the same size blank as 
the flat file for metal, but naturally, owing to the softer nature and 
fibrous character of wood, the teeth for these files are made different, 
being larger and more widely separated. It is double-cut on the sides and 
single-cut on the edges. This file is mainly used for finishing after the 
rasp has done the preliminary work. 

In size, the Half-Round Wood File is the same as a Regular Half- 
Round File, the only difference being in the “cut.” 



Disston—History of the File 


Page 55 


Excepting that it is somewhat wider and 
thinner, the Cabinet File is similar to the Half- 
Round, with slightly finer teeth. 

Worthy of special mention in the group of 
woodworking files is the 14-inch Half-Round, 
with special cut, used in the Disston Handle Shop 
for filing hand-saw handles. 

This particular style of file was used by some 
of the older men when in England, where they 
learned their trade an(J, coming to this country, 
brought the file with them. They have been used 
in the Disston Works ever since its inception. 

The cut is what may be termed “float cut,” it 
is widely spaced, has very sharp cutting edges, 
as shown in the illustration below, and the par¬ 
ticular shape of the teeth makes possible an easy, 
very rapid, smooth shearing cut. 

Referring again to metal-cutting files, the 
comparatively new but stupendous business—auto¬ 
mobile manufacturing and repairing—led to the 
making of a number of special files, among which 
are the Spark Plug File, which is similar in shape 
to a manicure file, the “Kleen Spark,” this being 
a combination of knife and file, the end of the 
file is chisel-shaped to clean gummy, oiled sur¬ 
faces, the Magneto File and the Midget Magneto 
File, the latter being similar to, but smaller than 
the former. 


Flat Wood Cabinet 

File File 

These are used to clean spark plugs 
n engines, magnetos, ignition coils, con- 
acts, etc., and are of a thickness allow- 
ng them to be used as a gauge in obtain- 
ng the proper spacing between the points of spark plug. 



Cut” used for filing Handles. 





Page 56 


Disston—History of the File 



KREEN SPARK 



MIDGET MAGNETO FIEE 





MANICURE FIEES 



FEEXIBEE MIEEED SHEAR TOOTH FIEE 


In the building of automobile bodies there is a special file used termed 
Flexible Milled Shear Tooth File. This is fastened on a wood handle, the 
file itself being 14 inches long, 1^ inches wide, and the teeth, 10 or 12 to 
the inch as required, are milled in, making strong, sharp teeth. They are 
used for fast filing of soft metal. 

Entirely different in use is another group of files, Manicure Files, 
which need no special explanation. These are made in a variety of styles 

















* 


Disston—History of the File 


Page 57 


and sizes—the light flexible, heavy flexible, files with cleaner point, with 
diamond point, plain point, cutter point, double end file with pencil 
sharpener, etc. 

Belonging to this group is the Corn Rasp, of which mention is made 
further on. 



Flat Wood 
Rasp 



Half Round 
Wood 
Rasp 




Round Half Round 
Wood Cabinet 

Rasp Rasp 


Saddle Tree 
Rasp 























Page 58 


Disston—History of the File 


Along a somewhat similar line is the Corrugating File. These are 
made in several degrees of cuts and are used to corrugate the blades 
of barbers’ shears, thus preventing the hair from slipping when being cut. 

While always considered under the general head of files, Rasps are 
really in a class of their own. The principal difference, of course, is in 
the teeth, which are detached, that is, not run in a continuous line, and 
not formed like the teeth on single and double-cut files. As described 
on page 37, instead of being cut with a chisel, rasp teeth are raised with 
a punch. They are much higher than the ordinary file teeth, set well 
apart, and staggered. In this manner they are enabled not only to cut 
uniformly, but very fast; each tooth taking a larger “bite” than do 
ordinary file teeth. 

There are several different styles of rasps, each used for different 
purposes, and all are so important in their respective lines that it would 
be hard to say positively which variety takes precedence over another. 

Probably the most widely used of all rasps, however, are those for 
wood. These are employed by wheelwrights, carriage builders, plumbers, 
cabinet, saddle-tree, pattern and last makers, gunstock makers, and fine 
woodworkers generally. 

Flat Wood Rasps are forged similar in form to flat files. This kind 
of rasp is single-cut on the edges, with punched teeth on the sides. 

The Half-Round Wood Rasp is formed like a half-round file, but has 
punched teeth on both the flat and round sides. 

The Round Wood Rasp is used by cabinet makers, and for other wood¬ 
working purposes. It is round in form with punched teeth clear out 
to the point. It is interesting to compare the illustration shown of 
the modern Round Rasp with the pictures on page 8 of the ancient 
Egyptian rasps. In the case of this particular rasp the changes which 
have taken place in the intervening thousands of years appear to be 
very slight. The Round Rasp is frequently used for other kinds of wood¬ 
working in addition to cabinet work. 

Another rasp for woodworking, and intended especially for cabinet 
work, is the Cabinet Rasp, This is a half-round rasp, but thinner than the 
regular half-round rasps and files. This, rasp is punched on both the 
round and flat sides, and has the edges single-cut. 

The Saddle-Tree Rasp is another special half-round rasp which is 
used in the manufacture of saddles. This resembles the Cabinet Rasp 
just described except that the teeth are slightly larger and set a little 
farther apart. The teeth are cut dn rows running obliquely across the 
rasp. The edges are not cut. 

The great shoe industry, one of the largest in the world, has several 
rasps made especially for its use. 

. The Last Makers’ Rasp is a rasp used in the making of the lasts upon 
which shoes are made. It is similar in many respects to the Cabinet Rasp 
described above, except that the edges are ver v thick and not cut; and 
the rows of teeth are cut on curved lines. The Flat Shoe Rasp has parallel 
sides and square ends. The sides only are cut. Beginning at the center 
the teeth run in opposite directions. It is used for filing the soles of 
shoes. 



Disston — History of* the File 


Page 59 


Last Flat Shoe 

Maker’s Rasp 

Rasp 


Half-Round Oval 

Shoe Rasp Shoe Rasp 


Improved 
Shoe Rasp 










































Page 60 


Disston—History of the File 


Another rasp used for both the soles and heels of shoes is the Half- 
Round Shoe Rasp. This has punched teeth on half of one side and double¬ 
cut teeth on the other half. It is also cut on the ends. This rasp is 
most in demand in the United States. 

The Oval Shoe Rasp is half-round on one side, and slightly rounding 
or bellied on the other. This affords two surfaces of different curvature, 
making them especially useful in forming the heels on shoes for which 
they are principally used. This is another rasp that is cut on the ends, 
but in this case the end is beveled. 

A shoe rasp that is used altogether abroad is the Improved Shoe Rasp. 
This rasp has a shoulder at the center, one half being thinner than 
the other. The teeth on each half run in opposite directions. 

Rasps are widely used by horseshoers, several patterns being made 
for their special use. 

The Plain Horse Rasp is of parallel form, single-cut on the edges, 
and rasp-cut on each side with the teeth running in opposite directions from 
the center. 

The Tanged Horse Rasp is of the same form, but has a tang on one 
end, and the teeth all run in the same direction—away from the tang. 
The regular horse rasp is parallel in shape, with one end square and the 
other slightly rounded. The edges are single-cut, while the sides are rasp- 
cut on one half, and double-cut on the other. The teeth are cut from each 
end to the center. 1 

The Beveled Edge Horse Rasp has the teeth running in opposite 
directions from the center, and each half is beveled on the opposite sides. 
The edges, including the bevel, are single-cut. 

Blacksmiths—or farriers—and veterinary surgeons, both use what is 
called a Horse Mouth Rasp in dental work on horses. This consists 
of a long handle (some have screw joint in the center for compact carry¬ 
ing) with a short rasp at the end. This also comes in a slightly different 
form known as the Horse Tooth File and Rasp. In this case there is an 
adjustable holder at one end in which is secured a short combination file 
and rasp called a Float. This Float is rasp-cut on one side and double¬ 
cut on the other. It is held in place by two screws. 

. Th ere is another rasp which is usually classed among manicure files. 
This is the Corn Rasp. It is made in various sizes from 2^4 inches to 6 
inches in length, and is very light in weight. It is a double-end rasp, with 
a curved depression on each side at the center, where a grip is obtained 
with the thumb and forefinger. 





Disston—History of the File 


Page 61 



Horse Rasp, 
Plain 


Horse Rasp, 
Tanged 


Regular Horse 
Rasp 


Horse Rasp 
Beveled 




























Page 62 


Disston—History of the File 



Horse Tooth File 
and Rasp with 
Adjustable Holder 


Horse Tooth 
Rasp and 
Handle 


Corn 

Rasp 




































Disston—History of the File 


Page 63 


The next in order are Riffler files, that is those given the regular 
file and rasp cuts. Rifflers are also made with superfine “cut,” which 
will be taken up with other files under that class. 

Regular Rifflers are usually double-ended (sometimes made single- 
ended) with curved working surfaces and a smooth centre for handhold. 
They are made in various lengths, shapes and cuts, and are generally used 


regular rifflers 




on sculpture for stone and wood carving, by toolmakers and diesinkers for 
dressing indented or depressed surfaces. 

While all rifflers are bent or curved, there is another group which 
for the sake of distinction is termed Bent Rifflers. These are furnished 



bent riffler file 


with wood handles, as illustrated, and are principally used for filing 
cavities. They are usually furnished in sets of six assorted shapes, cut 
either file or rasp, and also supplied in superfine cut. 


GIN SAW FILES 




In the ginning of cotton, by which process the seeds are removed, a 
gang or number of small circular saws are used in each machine. These 













Page 64 


Disston—History of the File 


saws have teeth of peculiar shape for the sharpening of 
which a special pattern of circular file is used. There are 
a number of different machines made for the purpose, each 
requiring its own particular shaped file, of which we illus¬ 
trate three patterns. 

In addition to the above there are several patterns of 
straight files used—one is knife-shaped, others triangular, 
and the tapered file shown on page 63. These are made 
of any thickness or cut desired. 


CIRCULAR AND STRAIGHT FILLS, FOR FILING 

belt shredder KNIVES 



Another class of files is that used in the beet sugar in¬ 
dustry for the sharpening of beet slicing knives or shred¬ 
ders as they are sometimes called, which have a serrated 
edge. 

The Straight Files for this purpose are made in the 
forms of square, hand and equaling, some with double 
beveled edges and of special “cut.” They range from three 
to five inches long and are tanged on one end. 

Circular Files cut on edge are also used for the sharpen¬ 
ing of these knives. They are made of any size, thickness 
or shape of edge to suit the knives in use. 



DOUBLE BEVEL FILE 




















Dtsston—History of the File 


Page 63 


SUPERFINE FILES 

The next division in the listing of files comes under the head of 
Superfine, by which is designated that group having extremely fine teeth. 
These include a long range of varieties, running from the tiny files used 
by watchmakers and jewelers—on many of which the teeth are so fine 
that the files feel almost perfectly smooth to the hand—to the comparatively 
large and heavy files with the superfine cut, used for finishing work in 
machine shops. 

They were originated in Switzerland or France, the records at hand 
pointing more strongly fo the former, and were used especially by watch 
and clock makers and by manufacturers of machinery and dies for this 
delicate class of work. 

Below are shown illustrations of the various superfine cuts. These 
begin with what is termed the No. 00 cut and run down in fineness to that 
known as No. 8. 

THE DIFFERENT CUTS OF SUPERFINE FIEES 



No. 3 


No. 4 



No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 

The majority .of the larger superfine files are shaped in a manner 
similar to the regular files which have been described throughout this 

























Page 66 


Disston—History of the File 


article, making it unnecessary to illustrate more than a few which show 
slight variations from these standard forms. The principal difference lies 
in the “cut” or teeth, which can be readily seen by comparing the illustra¬ 
tion of superfine cuts shown here with the standard cuts of regular files 
shown on pages 35 and 36. 



Flat Crochet Barrette 

File File File 


Slitting Drill or 

File Joint File 


The Flat File, it will be noticed, differs from the shape of regular files 
by tapering to a point, which also applies to the Round, Half-round, Square, 
etc. Other forms, such as Hand, Pillar, etc., follow the regular shapes. 














Disston—History of the File 


Page 6j 


A file of peculiar shape is the Crochet File. This has both edges 
rounded and cut, and tapers to a point. 

The Barrette File is somewhat similar to the Three-square file, but is 
more flattened in form and is generally cut on the wide side, left safe or 
uncut on the two narrow sides. This file as well as the one above is em¬ 
ployed for filing on any fine, or close-fitting work, like die-making. 

The Slitting File is diamond shaped; that is, wide at the center and 
tapering to a thin edge on both edges. 

The Drill, or Joint File, is parallel in width and is furnished with 
either round or square edges, as preferred. As the name indicates, it is 
used for filing drills. These constitute the large superfine files and range 
from two to twelve inches in length. 


SHAPES OF NEEDLE FILES 



Marking 


Needle Files are small, slender files from four to. six and a quarter 
inches in length (measured over all), and are made in all the differen 
forms. Only half the length is cut, however, the balance of the file being 
formed into a long, round tang or handle. These little files are used for 
jewelers’ work principally. 
















































Page 68 


Disston—History of the File 


Closely following the needle files in form and in shapes of ends is 
the group of escapement files. These are usually five and one-half inches 
long measured over all, and are made with a square handle. They derive 
their name by being chiefly used in filing the escapements for watches and 
clocks. 


ESCAPEMENT FILES 



Marking Slitting Jpiflt Barette Equaling square S( < uare Knife Ro^nd 0val Flat Round 





















































Disston—History of the File 


Page 69 


pi 

m 








Right Hand Pivot 


Ratchet 


Screwhead 


A few additional files which are used by clock- 
makers are the Screw-Head File, made with or with- 
out tang, two to four inches long; the Balance file, 

Ratchet, Right hand and the Double-end Pivot files, 
the latter being made right or left cut and with 
either sharp or conical corners. The forms of these 
files will be seen in the illustrations, which are 

, , • Balance 

actual size. 

Another group of straight files is the Die Sinkers’. These 
are similar in form to the larger Superfine files, but are usually 
made in two sizes, three and three and a half inches in length, 
formed with tang for handle. They are furnished in sets 
comprising the same shapes as Needle and Escapement files, 
and in “cuts” Nos. 0, 1 and 2. The -name implies their use. 

A special file that has attained a more or less standard 
form is the Riffier, used by sculptors, silversmiths, die sinkers 
etc. This form consists of a long, straight center for hand 
hold, while the ends for a short distance are file cut. The 



Double-end 

Pivot 































Page 70 


Disston—History of the File 


chief variation in these matters lies in the shape of the end and size. 

These are made in three sizes, large, medium and small, the medium 
size being illustrated, but in reduced length—the regular length for each 
being six and one-half inches, and differ only in thickness of stock. 

The individual types are too numerous to reproduce here, but a very 
good idea of the sizes and general forms may be had by comparison of 


SPECIAL RIFFLERS 



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Disston—History of the File 


Page Ji 


the Regular Rifflers shown on page. 63, which are eight inches long, with the 
Special Rifflers, which are slender in stock and about six and one-quarter 
inches in length, the illustration being about three inches less than actual 
size. 

Slightly longer than the above, but considerably heavier in stock, with 
more cutting surface, are the French Rifflers, the set composed, mostly of 
rasp-cut from fine to coarse. 

Coming next in size and in greater variety of shapes are the 'Die 
Sinkers’ Rifflers, which are seven inches long and somewhat heavier in 

Then follow the Silversmiths’ Rifflers. These are seven and a half 
inches long and narrower on the cutting ends. , 

There is also a form of riffler that has but one end curved, shaped 
and cut, the other end being formed into a tang to fit in a wood handle. 
This is the style previously referred to as the Bent Riffler. 

Differing from the files just described are the Bench Filing Machine 
Files in that they are specially adapted for use in power-driven machines. 

They are made in a variety of shapes as shown below; and with cuts 
Nos. 00, 0, 1 and 2. 


bench FILING machine file 


1111 






o O 





Barrette 

Three 

Square 

Auriform 

o 

O 

CZ) 


Oval Half Round 

Round 



Pippin 


Knife 


Crochet 


Pillar 


Lozenge 


Square 


Similar as to shapes, but longer and wider are the Parallel Machine 
Files, which are formed with a tang. These are made in all cuts. 

To name the industries in which files are used would be almost like 
compiling a trade directory of the world, for there are few that do not 
need some form of file. This gives rise, of course, to a number of spe¬ 
cial shapes that are invented and manufactured to meet the peculiar needs 
of some particular line of manufacture. 

It would be impossible to show all of the various forms of special 
files, and needless, too, because many are turned out to meet certain 
conditions, or as experiments. 










Page 72 


Disston—History of the File 


As interesting examples of exceptionally large files made in the 
Disston Works—and nowhere else is there so great a variety made—there 
are turned out from time to time Straight Files, double tang, each measur¬ 
ing 54 inches long, 3 l / 2 inches wide, %-inch thick, weighing 35 pounds, 
while Circular Files also are made 18 inches in diameter, l l / 2 inches thick, 
weighing 135 pounds each. These are being successfully used. 

This brings to a close the story of The File from the time when history 
first recognized its existence, down to modern times when its use has 
become well nigh indispensable to almost every form of manufacturing 
business. Although many foreign countries still manufacture files, 
America long ago took the lead in production. In addition to using 
annually over 35,000 dozen files of their own manufacture in their saw 
works, handle factory and machine shops, Henry Disston & Sons send 
enormous quantities of their files, not only all over this country and 
Canada, but to almost every foreign country. 










